What exactly does subatomic mean?

Question

I'm havin a hard time understandin this...does it mean things that are made up of atoms or what? I'm seriously confused! Help please!

Answer 1

Sub-atomic refers to anything smaller than an atom, such is the "pieces" that make up an atom: positrons, neutrons and electrons. There are also other sub-atomic particles.

Answer 2

It's the opposite of Macroscopic. Not to be confused with Erotic. Madonna says; Erotic,Erotic put your hands all over my body. Erotic erotic put you hands all over my body... " Does it mean things that are made up of atoms ? " You remind me of my sister.No, Things that are made up of atoms are molecules or compounds like (N2)Nitrogen,stinky stinky methane (CH4),Propane (C3H8) etc. You need to visit a library science section and open up a book one of these days. Stop waching shows. That's why you don't know. Do you think celebrities give a damn about your intellectual development ? What does subzero mean ? or Subhuman. It means below or under the. Subatomic must then mean; under the hood of the atom so to speak. Atomos in Greek means; Indivisible. It refers to the stuff inside the Nucleus of the Atom. Look up sites with the words; Nuclear Reactor sites. There's probably a webpage for some Nuclear Reactor facility. Try United States Department of Energy or Nuclear energy

Answer 3

generally, anything on the size level of the atom and lower. So the electron, proton, and neutron are invovled, since they make up atoms. But other small particles, like photons and neutrinos, and the tiny theoretical units called quarks that make up these particles, are involved as well.

There are many particles that fall into the sub-atomic categories, and the laws that guide them are often nothing like the classical laws that guide our everyday world. Quantum physics developed to try to explain this sub-atomic world.

Answer 4

Just what the name implies: Things that are smaller than the size of an atom. That includes all of the elementary particles (electrons, neutrons, and protons) that compose an atom.

Most of the other families of particles (the hadrons, leptons, partons, bosons, etc. etc.) are called subnuclear since they're smaller than the nucleus of an atom.


Doug

Answer 5

Subatomic is referring to the size of something. It means that something is smaller than an atomic particle.

Answer 6

Smaller than atoms.
When they found that atoms weren't the smallest thing...things smaller than atom...subatomic.

Answer 7

All of the answers that appear above mine, at least at this time of writing, are either partially or totally correct. But I like applechick282's answer. It's short, concise, and to the point.

Answer 8

"Sub" - Latin origin = below
"Atomic" - Greek origin from "atomos" = indivisible

So the word means:
"Of a size below that of the atom"

Compare this with "subway" = below the way (or street).
Or "submarine" = below the marine liquid (from Latin "marinus" or sea).

Answer 9

relating to particles of an atom.

Answer 10

sub-smaller
atomic-atomic