Now the smallest Particles of Matter may cohere by the strongest Attractions,
and compose bigger Particles of weaker Virture....
There are therefore Agents in Nature able to make the Particles of
Bodies stick together by very strong Attraction.
And it is the Business of experimental Philosophy to find them out.
[Isaac Newton, Optics (1680)]
Amazingly enough, our complex world consists of only the particles described in the upper left corner of the poster above, and the behavior of these particles is governed by the force carriers listed in the upper right corner. However, the discovery of these particles and forces is far from a simple task. It takes huge accelerators and ingenious detectors to uncover the unknown along with many clever and hardworking persons, who proudly call themselves Particle Physicists.
If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on
the shoulders of giants.
[Isaac Newton]
With this sencentes Isaac Newton finished his work, which instead of being the furthest looking became the foundation for others to look from. Todays heroes of physics are giants standing on the shoulders of Newton - the father of physics - and their work continues the eternal quest to find the ultimate answers of our world.
Particle Physics References: