• Question: What is inside the atom( what is the smallest part whcih is inside the nucleus)?

    Asked by 967cesf25 to Matt on 20 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Matt Dunn

      Matt Dunn answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      Lets go down from the top 😀

      An atom is made up of a central atomic nucleus, containing protons (positive charge) and neutrons (no charge). This nucleus is surrounded by a cloud of electrons (negative charge), which orbit around the nucleus.

      Protons and neutrons are made of even smaller particles called ‘quarks’. There are six types of quark: top, bottom, up, down, strange and charm (the names are a bit weird, I agree!). A combination of different types of quark makes larger particles, for instance a neutron is made from three quarks (up, up and down) and a proton is also made of three quarks (up, down and down).

      If you want a more complete picture, a list of all the types of particle is called the Standard Model Of Particle Physics, which includes the new and exciting Higgs Boson, attached here

      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Standard_Model_of_Elementary_Particles.svg

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