For thousands of years man has sought to deepen his understanding of the world in which he lives. This was achieved through research and experimentation, all in the name of science. These advances in science have given us a better understanding of our universe by allowing us to look at both the bigger picture and the smaller picture. The research that led to the discovery of protons and neutrons allowed us to realize that there is an even smaller particle that produces these infinitely small particles; that particle is the quark. A quark is a type of subatomic particle that is currently the smallest form of matter in the known universe. These particles are what make up both neutrons and protons. Neutrons and protons are made up of three quarks put together. Quarks are also used to build mesons. Mesons form when a quark and an antiquark are bonded by a strong force. In total there are six different types of quarks. Each of them has different masses and charges. Each type of quark is paired with another type of quark. The different types of quarks are up, down, charm, strange, top and bottom. It is also known that quarks do not contain smaller particles and are used to form all hadrons. Quarks and leptons together form atoms and are both the most basic forms of matter. Quarks produce protons and neutrons while electrons are a type of leptons. Quarks all have a fraction of a positive charge while leptons have a completely negative charge or no charge at all depending on the type of lepton. Quarks are important particles because they make up most of the matter on Earth. Quarks are the smallest pieces of matter we know of so far, and they are critical in helping us better understand ourselves and the world we live in... middle of paper... understanding quarks is better than our understanding of things that they do will be. This includes our understanding of nuclear reactions, energy harvesting, and understanding the characteristics of matter. The better we know about quarks and other subatomic particles, the easier it will be to predict the outcomes of certain scenarios. Quarks have become important pieces of matter that have allowed us to deepen our knowledge of what everything is made of. Quarks are the smallest objects in the universe and together with leptons make up all matter. Research conducted on quarks has allowed us to better understand the particles they form. As quark research continues, one can only imagine the possibilities for further research that can be carried out based on our knowledge of quarks. Our knowledge of quarks may well be the key to understanding our universe.