Do All Protons Have the Same Number of Quarks?

[Jehanne]

Of course, when you accelerate a proton (or, anything else for that matter), it will get "more massive", as mass is not conserved but it is invariant (same measure from other frames of reference).

[Little lunch]

That's a weird bong.
Where do you suck the smoke out of?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Hi!

Yes and no - there are three quarks which make up its fixed inventory, but on top of that, quark-antiquark pairs pop in and out of existence constantly. The net number if you take the difference of quarks and antiquarks is exactly 3 though.

Wjy 3 exactly? Because the strong force is so strong, stable isolated particles need to be color neutral to exist. The symmetries of the strong force have the property that it is not possibe for 4 or 5 quarks to be color charge neutral. This can be explained by the mathematical structure of the strong interactions which are governed by an SU(3) symmetry group - if you want  to get technical.

That's correct.

Boru

[vorlon13]

That's a weird bong.
Where do you suck the smoke out of?

It's a Ken Ham urinal.

You pee in the funnel.

[Rhondazvous]

Hi!

Yes and no - there are three quarks which make up its fixed inventory, but on top of that, quark-antiquark pairs pop in and out of existence constantly. The net number if you take the difference of quarks and antiquarks is exactly 3 though.

Wjy 3 exactly? Because the strong force is so strong, stable isolated particles need to be color neutral to exist. The symmetries of the strong force have the property that it is not possibe for 4 or 5 quarks to be color charge neutral. This can be explained by the mathematical structure of the strong interactions which are governed by an SU(3) symmetry group - if you want  to get technical.

This is very cinematic. It's my job to take SU(3) and put it on a stage so readers can see it happening.

---

Don't the quarks and antiquarks annihilate one another? If so, what is the product of that annihilation? A gamma ray like with electrons and positrons?

[Alex K]

Hi!

Yes and no - there are three quarks which make up its fixed inventory, but on top of that, quark-antiquark pairs pop in and out of existence constantly. The net number if you take the difference of quarks and antiquarks is exactly 3 though.

Wjy 3 exactly? Because the strong force is so strong, stable isolated particles need to be color neutral to exist. The symmetries of the strong force have the property that it is not possibe for 4 or 5 quarks to be color charge neutral. This can be explained by the mathematical structure of the strong interactions which are governed by an SU(3) symmetry group - if you want  to get technical.

This is very cinematic. It's my job to take SU(3) and put it on a stage so readers can see it happening.

If you manage to take the SU(3) symmetry group and put it on a stage, you deserve a Nobel in literature. It'll be the first subject that got two nobels in different fields (physics, 2004, literature, 20xx).

---

Don't the quarks and antiquarks annihilate one another? If so, what is the product of that annihilation? A gamma ray like with electrons and positrons?

In the context of the proton or neutron, they are most likely to annihilate to a gluon again, but photons are also possible. They would however remain a part of the conglomerate of virtual and real particles which we call a proton or neutron. All these particles are actually a wild mix of all different kinds of elementary particles popping in and out of existence due to quantum fluctuations.

[Rhondazvous]

This is very cinematic. It's my job to take SU(3) and put it on a stage so readers can see it happening.

If you manage to take the SU(3) symmetry group and put it on a stage, you deserve a Nobel in literature. It'll be the first subject that got two nobels in different fields (physics, 2004, literature, 20xx).

---

Don't the quarks and antiquarks annihilate one another? If so, what is the product of that annihilation? A gamma ray like with electrons and positrons?

In the context of the proton or neutron, they are most likely to annihilate to a gluon again, but photons are also possible. They would however remain a part of the conglomerate of virtual and real particles which we call a proton or neutron. All these particles are actually a wild mix of all different kinds of elementary particles popping in and out of existence due to quantum fluctuations.

Popping in and out of existence? Does that mean scientist have abandoned the notion that matter can be neither created nor destroyed? The idea that everything has to come from somewhere actually leads to infinite regression because how did it get to the place it came from?

A nobel prize? Well, I'm just doing what I love to do, the choreography of words. We shall see what we shall see.

[ignoramus]

Alex ...Help her at your own risk ...
(But you may not even get a mention at her Nobel prize acceptance speech.)

Just sayin'

[Rhondazvous]

Alex ...Help her at your own risk ...
(But you may not even get a mention at her Nobel prize acceptance speech.)

Just sayin'

Who knows, Ig. As co-conspirators, we might be on trial...I mean accepting the prize together.

[ignoramus]

In that case he'll make a good character witness!