ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

leptons vs quarks

Leptons are particles that help make up atoms. They are small and very light, so they don't take up much space or have much weight. They don't normally interact with each other either. Instead, they travel around by themselves.

Quarks are different from leptons. They are also very small and light, but they can interact with each other. Quarks can form together in different combinations to create protons and neutrons. These are bigger particles that join together to make up the nucleus of an atom.