ScienceAugust 27, 2026

quark

KWARK

Definition

A fundamental constituent of matter that combines with others to form composite particles such as protons and neutrons.

Etymology

Coined by physicist Murray Gell-Mann in 1964, the term was taken from a nonsensical line in James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake, where it appears as 'Three quarks for Muster Mark!'

In the news

The article uses 'quark' as an example of a complex physics topic—specifically 'quark-gluon plasma'—to illustrate how the challenge judges whether a student truly understands scientific material.

Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Junior Challenge Just Funded a Science Lab in Quito

Read the full article ↗

The London Economic

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