How Small Is It - 04 - Elementary Particles (4K)

Wiki page
In this segment of our “How small is it” video book, we introduce elementary particles.

We start with a description of cosmic rays and gamma rays. They collide with atoms in the atmosphere to create a wide variety of particles. We cover how cloud chambers work to ‘see’ these new particles. That includes taking a look at the tracks for electrons and protons. We then take a look at the new particles we found on mountain tops and up in balloons: positrons, electron-positron pair creation, muons; pions; kaons; and particle decay timing and signatures.

We then cover the hard-to-find neutrino, starting with the Ellis - Wooster experiment to measure the energy of radium decay into polonium that led to Wolfgang Pauli’s 1927 prediction about the existence of the neutrino. We then take a look at the 1970 bubble chamber track that first detected it.

Next, we probe the proton using scattering experiments like the ones used by Rutherford to probe the nucleus. This time we use electrons instead of alpha particles. We cover how this was done at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in 1969. We show how particle acceleration is accomplished, and how particle detection is done with hodoscopes and calorimeters. We also examine the test results, explaining the idea of ‘cross section’ measurements as a way to identify scattering target sizes. We end with the results that showed that the proton has 3 parts: now called quarks.

We then cover how quarks form hadrons (baryons and mesons) with their predicted spin, charge and mass. With these predictions, the hunt for these particles went into high gear. We cover the discovery of the lambda, xi, and omega particles that show that the quark theory was correct.

We end with a review of particle sizes we’ve seen so far from the atom to the neutrino. We also show how this large array of new particles begins to fit into a model organized around particle masses (leptons and hadrons) and particle spins (fermions and bosons) along with their different statistical behaviors in a group.

Music
@00:00 Stravinsky - The Firebird - from the album “The Firebird Suite” 2010

@01:13 Beethoven - Symphony No 6 (Shepherds Hymn) - Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti; from the album “Essential Adagios” 2010

@05:5 Mozart - Divertimento No 10 - Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra – from the album “50 Must-Have Adagio Masterpieces” 2013

@19:18 Rossini - William Tell Overture - London Philharmonia Orchestra and Alfred Scholz; from the album “The London Philharmonic Collection: Light Classics” 2009

@36:18 Haydn - Piano Concerto No 4 - Nicolai Evrov, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; from the album “50 Must-Have Adagio Masterpieces” 2013

[alexandermartin]

Amazing. David Butler and The Exoplanets Channel are my favorite channels!!

[Michele]

This is the best explanation I found on YouTube, great video series

[BigSebi]

And when the world needed him most, he returned.

[WrathofArminius]

I don’t know if I should be listening while driving given this is the voice that normally gets me to sleep.

[stevemartin]

Breaking out a bottle of plum wine here in Japan before settling to bed, and upvoting this by reflex, even before the first minute has passed. Info-tainment doesn't come any better than Prof. Butler's videos ... and is one of the brightest jewels of YouTube ... and an elegant reminder that intellectual humility and knowledge are two sides of the same elementary particle ... uh ... 'coin'. 😂

[pixeldragon]

I love that you are still working on this. My kids love listening to you, like a science Bob Ross. Great info, amazingly calm and reassuring presentation.

[lillemy]

In school I cared about everything else other than learning, but I can listen and learn from this whenever I have time. It's amazing ❤️

[MrTacdriver]

Thank you David for your kindness to share knowledge freely. Your presentation is unique in its calmness and organization. I am happy that you returned to your passion after retirement and we benefit from it. God bless you Sir!

[LucidTactics]

I love how you approach these subjects - following how they were discovered and making these things seem relatively approachable. It was just some folks playing with cloud chambers...

[bobgoss]

David’s videos makes leaning fun. Please never stop making them.

[clessiodaniel]

Thank you Dr. David Butler. It's a shame I came to find about you, only when am an old man already. You're everything we need to become someone' knowledgeable. It's really marvelous to be able hear you. Marvelous.

[ErikGsson]

You are taking something impossible to understand to something a five year old would understand❤ Thanks alot

[snowkracker]

None of this ever interested me when I was younger. But now I find it extremely fascinating and can’t get enough.

[poppadbear]

Brilliant video! I am a total novice when it comes to particle physics. I have been watching videos on particle physics for about 1.5 years now and this video has shored up and answered so many questions I’ve had over that period… I am going straight to the Higgs Boson video right now…. Thank you for this!

[bibia]

i could swear i had allready gave a like to this video, but i be gladly liking this twice.
real clear and well explained. top notch mate thanks many times, the whole channel is a real gem. love and greetings bibia

[narinthebeardedalien]

I need this but with the background music being Bluetech - Elementary Particles repeated again and again in low volume. :D (Great video btw )

[nickanderson]

I learn more from his videos than from the hundreds of others I've seen from everyone else. This dude is great explaining things.

[Zukiwi]

I'm so excited to see another of your videos! Thanks you so much sir!!

[deltilt]

Thank you very much for your calm and very detailed explanations for beginners! This is the best video regarding elementary particles on youtube.

[turkfiles]

David, I truly appreciate your “video books”. It’s quite enjoyable to easily connect all the dots, so to speak, of how all of these particles/fields/forces are created and what their functions are. Your narrative pacing, graphs and illustrations/animations are immensely helpful in visualizing and understanding the nearly unbelievable complexity and beauty of the subatomic and quantum realms. Thank you, David.