Which of the following shows the masses of the three elementary particles in decreasing order? A. Leptons, Baryons, Mesons B. Mesons, Baryons, Leptons C. Baryons, Mesons, Leptons D. Leptons, Mesons Baryons

Leptons, Baryons, Mesons
Mesons, Baryons, Leptons
Baryons, Mesons, Leptons
Leptons, Mesons Baryons

The correct answer is: A. Leptons, Baryons, Mesons

Leptons are the lightest elementary particles, followed by mesons, and then baryons.

  • Leptons are elementary particles that do not interact via the strong force. They are divided into three generations: the electron, muon, and tau leptons, and their corresponding neutrinos.
  • Mesons are elementary particles that are made up of a quark and an antiquark. They are heavier than leptons, but lighter than baryons.
  • Baryons are elementary particles that are made up of three quarks. They are the heaviest of the three types of elementary particles.

Here is a table showing the masses of the three types of elementary particles:

| Particle | Mass (in MeV/c^2) |
|—|—|
| Lepton | < 1 |
| Meson | 100-1000 |
| Baryon | 1000-10000 |

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