Fundamentals, radiation alpha particles

The atom was once thought to be the smallest unit of matter, but was then found to be composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons. The question arises are electrons, protons, and neutrons made of still smaller particles In the same way that Rutherford was able to deduce the atomic nucleus by bombarding atoms with alpha particles (Chapter 3), evidence for the existence of many other subatomic particles has been obtained by bombarding the atom with highly energetic radiation.This research over the past centmy has evolved into what is known as the "standard model of fundamental particles, which places all constituents of matter within one of two categories quarks and leptons. 

Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) identified two types of radiation from radioactive materials, alpha (a) and beta (j8). Alpha particles carry two fundamental units of positive charge and have essentially the same mass as helium atoms. In fact, alpha particles are identical to He ions. Beta particles are negatively charged particles produced by changes occurring within the nuclei of radioactive atoms and have the same properties as electrons. A third form of radiation, which is not affected by electric or magnetic fields, was discovered in 1900 by Paul Villard. This radiation, called gamma rays (y). 

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