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Baryons are fascinating particles that belong to the family of hadrons. They are made up of three quarks, which are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Understanding baryons is essential to grasp the basics of particle physics. Specific examples of baryons include protons and neutrons, which are familiar components found in the nucleus of an atom. Baryons are characterized by combinations of quarks such as up, down, and strange.
The baryon number is an important property—each baryon has a baryon number of +1. This property helps define their interactions and preserve the baryon number in particle reactions. The process in which one baryon changes into another, like a proton turning into a neutron, also demonstrates the concept of baryon conservation.

• Made of three quarks
• Examples: Protons and Neutrons
• Conserves baryon number in interactions

Quarks are the fundamental constituents of baryons and other hadrons. There are six types, or 'flavors', of quarks: up (u), down (d), strange (s), charm (c), bottom (b), and top (t). Quarks combine in groups of three to form baryons, or they pair up with an antiquark to form mesons. Each quark carries a fractional electric charge, with up, charm, and top carrying a charge of +2/3, and down, strange, and bottom carrying a charge of -1/3.
Quarks are held together inside baryons by the strong force. They cannot exist freely; they are always found in combination with other quarks. The interaction between quarks within a baryon also results in properties such as baryon spin, magnetic moments, and related subatomic behaviors. Here is a list of quark flavors:

• Up (u), Down (d), Strange (s)
• Charm (c), Bottom (b), Top (t)

Each quark also has a corresponding "color" charge, which plays a vital role in how they bind together to form hadrons like baryons.

The strong force, also known as the strong nuclear force, is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is the force that holds the components of the nucleus together. In terms of quarks, the strong force binds quarks together to form baryons and other hadrons. It is incredibly powerful, overcoming the repulsive electromagnetic force that would otherwise push positively charged protons apart within the nucleus.
Inside baryons, the strong force is conveyed by particles called gluons, which "glue" quarks together. The unique property of the strong force is that it becomes stronger when quarks are pulled apart, a phenomenon known as color confinement. This ensures that quarks are never found alone in nature.

• Strongest fundamental force
• Mediated by gluons between quarks
• Responsible for holding atomic nuclei together

Without the strong force, the universe as we know it, with its stable atomic structures, would not exist.