Key points
- The poster zooms from matter to molecule, atom, nucleus and subatomic particles, then arranges the fundamental particles on a radial chart.
- Six quarks (up, down, charm, strange, top, bottom) and six leptons (electron, muon, tau and their three neutrinos) form the outer ring. Five bosons (gluon, photon, Z, W and Higgs) sit in the centre.
- Only four of these particles exist in everyday matter: the up and down quarks, the electron and the electron neutrino.
- A second panel matches three forces to their bosons (photons, Z and W bosons, gluons) and shows gravity with a question mark for the hypothetical graviton.
- The poster prints no masses, charges or spins. It groups particles by type only.
The Standard Model of particle physics poster in text
Title: The Standard Model of Particle Physics. Intro: “Everything in the universe can be reduced to tiny particles smaller than atoms. At this level, only few kinds of subatomic particles exist.” It then introduces their interactions through “the collective theory known as the Standard Model of Particle Physics”.
Zoom sequence: Matter (a water droplet), Molecule, Atom, Nucleus, Subatomic Particles, with labels for a matter particle and a force particle.
Fundamental particles
“At the subatomic scale, there are two types of fundamental particles: matter particles, some of which combine to produce all the material in the world around us, and force particles, which govern the interactions or forces between the matter particles.” The radial chart organises them into three classes:
| Class | Particles on the chart | Description on the poster |
|---|---|---|
| Quarks | up (u), down (d), charm (c), strange (s), top (t), bottom (b) | Tiny particles that aggregate to form larger ones and help form the nuclei of atoms |
| Leptons | electron (e), muon (μ), tau (τ), electron neutrino, muon neutrino, tau neutrino | Do not undergo strong interactions; electrons and their neutrinos are the only leptons in matter |
| Bosons | gluon, photon, Z boson, W+ and W- bosons, Higgs boson (centre) | “Force carrying” or “force-mediating” particles exchanged by quarks and leptons |
Callouts: “Only 4 subatomic particles exist in everyday matter.” and “The rest existed shortly after the Big Bang and are now found only in accelerators or cosmic rays.”
Fundamental interactions
“All subatomic particles interact with one another in different ways, producing the fundamental forces. They are achieved through the exchange of bosons between leptons and quarks.”
| Force | What the poster says | Boson |
|---|---|---|
| Electromagnetism | Occurs with electric charge and binds different atoms together | Photons |
| Weak force | Responsible for the radioactive decay of atoms; participates in nuclear fusion and fission | Z and W bosons |
| Strong force | “Glues” quarks together to form larger particles, such as the nuclei of atoms | Gluons |
| Gravitation | Cannot yet be explained by the Standard Model; a hypothetical graviton may bind the solar system and the universe | Gravitons (?) |
Footnote: “The Higgs boson contributes to the phenomenon of mass, and is classified separately from the fundamental forces because of unique properties.” Sources printed: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Quark), CERN (The Standard Model), Domain of Science (The Map of Particle Physics, YouTube), BBC Bitesize (Orders of magnitude, the Standard Model) and Quanta Magazine (A New Map of All the Particles and Forces). Credit: Visual Capitalist, research, writing and design by Mark Belan.
How CERN describes the Standard Model
CERN describes the Standard Model as the best understanding of how the fundamental particles and three of the four fundamental forces relate to each other. It was developed in the early 1970s and has explained almost all experimental results [2]. Matter particles come in two types, quarks and leptons, each with six particles arranged in pairs, or “generations”. All stable matter in the universe is made from first generation particles, and heavier particles quickly decay to more stable ones [2]. This is the basis of the poster’s note that only four particles exist in everyday matter.
Three forces come from exchanging bosons: the gluon carries the strong force, the photon the electromagnetic force, and the W and Z bosons the weak force. Gravity is not part of the Standard Model, and the graviton has not been found [2]. On 4 July 2012 the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider announced a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson, and François Englert and Peter Higgs shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in physics for the theory behind it [2].
Visual Capitalist’s article accompanying the poster gives the same grouping and counts 17 identified particles [1]. CERN lists questions the model does not answer, including what dark matter is and why there are three generations of quarks and leptons with such different masses [2].
Notes on this infographic
- No particle properties. Despite the scientific look, the poster gives no masses, charges or spins. The sphere sizes loosely suggest relative mass but are not to scale.
- “Only few kinds”. The intro reads “only few kinds of subatomic particles exist”, which should read “only a few kinds”.
- Particle counting. The article calls them “17 matter particles” [1], but 5 of the 17 are bosons, which the poster itself classes as force particles. The 17 also counts the W+ and W- as one entry and does not split quarks by the three “colours” CERN describes [2].
- Dates. Visual Capitalist published the poster on 25 December 2023 [1].
Questions about the Standard Model of particle physics
How many fundamental particles are in the Standard Model?
The poster shows 17: six quarks, six leptons and five bosons. Visual Capitalist's accompanying article also counts 17 identified particles [1]. That total includes the bosons, which the poster classes as force particles, counts the W+ and W- as one entry and does not split quarks by the three "colours" CERN describes [2].
Which particles make up everyday matter?
Only four: the up and down quarks, the electron and the electron neutrino. The poster says the rest existed shortly after the Big Bang and are now found only in accelerators or cosmic rays. CERN explains that all stable matter in the universe is made from first generation particles, and heavier particles quickly decay to more stable ones [2].
Is gravity part of the Standard Model?
No. Gravity is not part of the Standard Model, and the graviton has not been found [2]. The poster shows gravitation with a question mark for the hypothetical graviton and says it cannot yet be explained by the Standard Model. CERN describes the model as covering three of the four fundamental forces, carried by the gluon, the photon and the W and Z bosons [2].
When was the Higgs boson discovered?
On 4 July 2012 the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider announced a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson [2]. François Englert and Peter Higgs shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in physics for the theory behind it [2]. The poster places the Higgs boson at the centre of its chart and says it contributes to the phenomenon of mass.
Sources
- Visual Capitalist, Visualized: Subatomic Particles and Fundamental Forces of Nature, Mark Belan, 25 December 2023.
- CERN, The Standard Model.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
