A particle made up of 3 quarks is known as what?

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A particle made up of three quarks is classified as a baryon. Baryons are a specific type of hadron, which can be formed from quarks, with baryons being composed of three quarks. This structure differentiates them from mesons, which are made of a quark and an antiquark pair.

Baryons include well-known particles like protons and neutrons, which are fundamental components of atomic nuclei. The term "baryon" derives from the Greek word for "heavy," reflecting the fact that baryons are generally heavier than mesons. This distinction is important in understanding particle physics and the composition of matter.

In contrast, leptons are elementary particles not made of quarks, and fermions are a broader classification that includes all particles that follow the Pauli exclusion principle, which could encompass both baryons and leptons. Thus, the classification of a particle made up of three quarks as a baryon is accurate and fundamental to particle physics.

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