What makes up an atom? I now about protons, neutrons, and electrons, but what else are there? I heard of somehting called tachions, what are those? Can you give me a science lesson here?
2006-07-15 08:14:57 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
A tachyon is a faster than light particle moving backwards in time. A theory never observed!
And an atom is comprised of protons and neutrons bound together forming a nucleus with electrons orbiting. The simplest nucleus is one proton. The number of electrons (negative charge) always equals the number of protons (positive charge), unless the atom is ionized.
The number of neutrons in heavier atoms is roughly equal to the number of protons, although atomic isotopes are chemically the same because they have the same number of protons, but have differing numbers of neutrons.
Protons and neutrons have about the same mass & are about 1800 times more massive than the electron.
Protons and neutrons are bound together with the "strong" force which is very strong and very short range. Making or breaking these strong force bonds is where all the energy in a fission or fusion bomb or reactor comes from.
The electrostatic forces between oppositely charged particles (electron & proton) are what keep the electrons orbiting and quantum mechanics is what keeps the whole electron cloud from collapsing in on the nucleus.
2006-07-15 09:21:52 · answer #1 · answered by Tom H 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All I ever heard of making up an atom is a nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons with electrons orbiting it. I'm not sure what a quork is or what it smells like either.
2006-07-15 08:32:12 · answer #2 · answered by Wascal Wabbit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The minimum atom is hydrogen - 1 proton and 1 electron.
Quarks are smaller particles that make up a proton, but they are very hard to identify because they don't exist by themselves.
Electrons are little packets of energy and have almost no mass, nor are they known to be divisible.
2006-07-15 08:20:16 · answer #3 · answered by lip11 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Protons, Neutrons, and electrons are the only parts of the atom, as far as I know.
2006-07-15 08:18:11 · answer #4 · answered by Aloofly Goofy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
read
The God Particle by Leon Lederman
The God Particle will give you a very good overview of quantum particles and the like. It is written toward the non math non physics kind of guy
He goes into all of the elementary particles known, and touches on those that theory says should be there but we have yet to actually see.
2006-07-15 09:01:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whoa your getting into some pretty heavy science here. You want to look up some info on sub atomic particles.
2006-07-15 08:21:35 · answer #6 · answered by Greg 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tachyons are faster-than-light subatomic particles. They move backwards in time.
2006-07-15 08:28:03 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
quorks not sure on the smelling buts its the smaller particle in side their and when you get smaller you get in to molecules.
2006-07-15 08:17:48 · answer #8 · answered by ah64dtk 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i just would like to know who you are getting your information from.
2006-07-15 08:19:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋