The Standard Model of particle physics is like a detailed guide that explains the basic parts of our universe. It successfully describes three of the four main forces:
But, it does have some big gaps.
No Gravity: One of the biggest problems is that the Standard Model doesn’t include gravity. We know a lot about gravity from Einstein’s General Relativity, but combining that with quantum mechanics is still a mystery.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy: Scientists believe that about 27% of the universe is made up of dark matter, and 68% is dark energy. However, the Standard Model doesn’t explain these strange parts of the universe. We can’t see them, but we can see how they affect things around us!
Neutrino Masses: Neutrinos are tiny particles that were thought to be massless, which means they have no weight. But experiments have shown that they actually do have some mass. The Standard Model doesn’t explain how they can have mass without making some big changes.
Matter vs. Antimatter: Our universe is mostly made of matter, but theories say that matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts during the Big Bang. The Standard Model doesn’t explain why we see so much more matter than antimatter.
In short, while the Standard Model is a great start, it doesn’t give us the whole story of the universe. Scientists are looking into other ideas, like string theory and supersymmetry, to fill in these gaps and get a better understanding of the universe we live in.
The Standard Model of particle physics is like a detailed guide that explains the basic parts of our universe. It successfully describes three of the four main forces:
But, it does have some big gaps.
No Gravity: One of the biggest problems is that the Standard Model doesn’t include gravity. We know a lot about gravity from Einstein’s General Relativity, but combining that with quantum mechanics is still a mystery.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy: Scientists believe that about 27% of the universe is made up of dark matter, and 68% is dark energy. However, the Standard Model doesn’t explain these strange parts of the universe. We can’t see them, but we can see how they affect things around us!
Neutrino Masses: Neutrinos are tiny particles that were thought to be massless, which means they have no weight. But experiments have shown that they actually do have some mass. The Standard Model doesn’t explain how they can have mass without making some big changes.
Matter vs. Antimatter: Our universe is mostly made of matter, but theories say that matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts during the Big Bang. The Standard Model doesn’t explain why we see so much more matter than antimatter.
In short, while the Standard Model is a great start, it doesn’t give us the whole story of the universe. Scientists are looking into other ideas, like string theory and supersymmetry, to fill in these gaps and get a better understanding of the universe we live in.