strange quark

noun Physics.

a quark having electric charge −1/3 times the elementary charge and strangeness −1; it is more massive than the up and down quarks.
Also called s quark.

Origin of strange quark

First recorded in 1970–75

Words nearby strange quark

strange attractor, strange bedfellows, strange interlude, strange matter, strange particle, strange quark, strange star, strange to say, strangeness, stranger, stranger rape

Scientific definitions for strange quark

strange quark

A quark with an electric charge of -1/3 and a mass of 391 electron masses, greater than that of the up quark and down quark, but smaller than that of other quarks. The presence of a strange quark contributes strangeness of -1 to the physical system containing it, while a strange antiquark contributes strangeness of +1. See Table at subatomic particle.