What is the Difference Between Fundamental Particles and Elementary Particles?

The terms "fundamental particles" and "elementary particles" are often used interchangeably to describe the smallest building blocks of the universe, which have no internal structure and are not made up of anything else. However, there is a subtle difference between the two:

• Fundamental particles are particles that have no internal structure and cannot be broken down into smaller parts. In particle physics, fundamental particles are subatomic particles that are not composed of other particles.
• Elementary particles are subatomic particles that cannot be further broken down and are considered the most basic units of matter. Elementary particles are either bosons or fermions, with fermions being the particles that make up matter.

The Standard Model of particle physics recognizes seventeen distinct elementary particles, including twelve flavors of fermions (quarks and leptons) and five bosons. These elementary particles come together to form more familiar particles, such as protons and neutrons, which are known as composite particles.

In summary, the key difference between fundamental particles and elementary particles is that fundamental particles are those that cannot be broken down into smaller parts, while elementary particles are either bosons or fermions.

Comparative Table: Fundamental Particles vs Elementary Particles

The main difference between fundamental particles and elementary particles lies in their substructure and composition. Here is a table comparing the key differences between fundamental particles and elementary particles:

In summary, fundamental particles are the building blocks of elementary particles, which in turn form the basic structure of matter. While both fundamental and elementary particles have no substructure, fundamental particles (quarks) cannot be further divided, whereas elementary particles (non-quark particles) can be divided into fundamental particles and composite particles.