Quarks are fundamental particles that constitute protons and neutrons, the building blocks of atomic nuclei. There are six distinct types of quarks, known as up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom.

As elementary particles, quarks cannot be subdivided into smaller components. They possess fractional electric charges, which necessitates their combination with other quarks to form particles that exhibit integer charges. The up and down quarks are the most prevalent and are primarily responsible for forming the protons and neutrons within an atom’s nucleus. In contrast, charm, strange, top, and bottom quarks are significantly heavier and are typically generated in high-energy particle collisions.

Quarks also possess a property known as “spin,” which quantifies their intrinsic angular momentum. Additionally, they exhibit a characteristic called “colour charge,” which pertains to the strong force that binds quarks together within particles. Quarks can carry one of three colour charges: red, green, or blue. When quarks combine to create particles, they do so in a manner that results in a neutral total colour charge for the particle.

In summary, quarks are fundamental particles that form protons and neutrons. They exist in six varieties, each with unique properties. Quarks have fractional electric charges and colour charges, both of which are essential for understanding the strong force that holds them together.