Welcome to the Lancaster Particle Physics Package (LPPP)

The LPPP is designed for students aged 16 to 18 who are taking physics courses. It covers topics from the common core and optional modules in the English GCE Advanced Level system (A-Level) as well as modules from the International BaccalaureateⓇ (IB). If you have just begun such a course then you are advised to concentrate mainly on the animations and simpler definitions. If you are working towards the A2 synoptic papers or the IB Higher then you might benefit from studying the more detailed explanations of the physics behind the animations. If you are applying to study for a physics degree at world-class institution like Lancaster University then you should be able to follow most of the theory on the site.

The LPPP aims to give you a feel for the basic physics and experimental techniques involved in particle physics research. The animations in the LPPP simulate the real physics underlying the events that you are modeling. There is a gradual introduction to relativistic formulae and corresponding units for energy and mass.

By following the suggested experiments, calculations and short projects, you will learn how to find the mass and identity of particles that you have created, measure the mass and the lifetime of the neutral kaon, observe neutrino mixing and maybe even discover the Higgs boson!