• Question: why are some particles heavy and other light?

    Asked by 08walkerb to Daniel on 15 Nov 2011.
    • Photo: Daniel Scully

      Daniel Scully answered on 15 Nov 2011:

      That’s actually one of the big questions in particle physics today.

      In fact we’re not even sure how particles get mass at all.

      The Higgs force is our best guess at the minute for what gives particles mass, and if we find the Higgs boson that will be proof the Higgs force exists.

      But that still doesn’t explain why some particles are heavy and some are light… we don’t really know at the minute!
      Any ideas?

Comments