A fundamental constituent of matter; also known as a subatomic particle. Elementary particles are divided into two main classes: hadrons, which themselves consist of units called quarks; and leptons, which are not composed of quarks and seem to have no internal structure. Hadrons which consist of three quarks are also known as baryons; examples are the proton and the neutron. Hadrons which consist of two quarks are known as mesons. Leptons include the electron, muon, and neutrino. Elementary particles have properties of charge, spin, and rest mass. They can be classified by the interactions they take part in. Hadrons participate in strong interactions, weak interactions, and, if they carry charge, electromagnetic interactions. Leptons do not participate in strong interactions. About 200 different elementary particles are thought to exist.