Final answer:
The Standard Model of physics includes 17 known fundamental particles, comprising six quarks, six leptons, four gauge bosons, and the Higgs boson leading to a total of 31 components when including their antiparticles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Completing the Standard Model of the Atom
The Standard Model is the framework within modern physics that provides the classification of all known fundamental particles. According to this model, there are a total of 17 fundamental particles. These include six types of quarks, six types of leptons, four types of gauge bosons (carrier particles), and the Higgs boson. When we consider the antiparticles for the quarks and leptons, we arrive at a total of 31 components that make up the Standard Model. It’s important to note that while the graviton is hypothesized as the carrier of gravitational force, it has not been observed and is not part of the Standard Model.
Leptons and quarks are the building blocks of matter, with quarks binding together to form hadrons, such as protons and neutrons. Gauge bosons are responsible for transmitting the forces between these particles. The Higgs boson, discovered in 2012, provides mass to the other particles through the Higgs mechanism.