Key Stage 5
Meaning
The law of Conservation of Strangeness is the observation that during the strong nuclear interaction the sum of the Hadrons' strangeness is the same before and after that interaction.
About Conservation of Strangeness
- Strange-quarks have a strangeness of -1.
- Anti-strange-quarks have a strangeness of +1.
- If a Strange-quark comes into existence an Anti-strange-quark must also come into existence.
- Conservation of Strangeness cannot be applied to the weak nuclear interaction.
Examples
\(p + \pi^- \rightarrow K^+ + \Sigma^-\)
|
|
\(p\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(\pi^-\)
|
\(\rightarrow\)
|
\(K^+\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(\Sigma^-\)
|
| Charge
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|
| Baryon Number
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(+1\)
|
| Lepton Number
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
| Strangeness
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|
\(n + \pi^- \rightarrow K^0 + \Sigma^-\)
|
|
\(n\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(\pi^-\)
|
\(\rightarrow\)
|
\(K^0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(\Sigma^-\)
|
| Charge
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|
| Baryon Number
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(+1\)
|
| Lepton Number
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
| Strangeness
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|
\(n + \pi^+ \rightarrow K^+ + \Sigma^0\)
|
|
\(n\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(\pi^+\)
|
\(\rightarrow\)
|
\(K^+\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(\Sigma^0\)
|
| Charge
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(+1\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
| Baryon Number
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(+1\)
|
| Lepton Number
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
| Strangeness
|
\(0\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(0\)
|
\(=\)
|
\(+1\)
|
\(+\)
|
\(-1\)
|