particle zoo
/ˌpɑɹtək(ə)l ˈzu/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Except for the fact that they provide coherent descriptions for general features of the particle "zoo" (nonexistence of particles with Qgt;1, limitation of the possible kinds of particles, etc.) these formalisms could indeed be described as empty frames."
- "You've heard about atoms, elements, and nuclear fusion. But what about red, blue, and green quarks and particle zoos containing "wild beasts"?"
- "After World War II, experimental physicists discovered that a host of particles, many with unusual properties, could be created by high-speed collisions inside cloud chambers using cosmic rays; later, particle accelerators were used. Puzzled by the photographic traces of scores of such subatomic particles, researchers spoke of a "particle zoo," because they could discern no underlying similarities. [Murray] Gell-Mann set about trying to classify these particles."
- "Based on this rapidly growing population of particles, often referred to as the "nuclear particle zoo," scientists no longer want to consider the proton and the neutron as elementary particles within the field of nuclear physics."
- "And despite the laundry list nature of particle physics, the inhabitants of our particle zoos are remarkably simple creatures. Just a few numbers tell you everything you could possibly want to know."
- "Unfortunately, [Wolfgang] Pauli didn't live long enough to see how populous the particle zoo would become—how many categories and subcategories and families and flavors particle physicists would postulate and discover in the decades that followed his death."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌpɑɹtək(ə)l ˈzu/
- British English: /ˌpɑːtɪkl̩ ˈzuː/