If this particle travels through space faster than the speed of light and this particle is in actual fact matter, does this mean that space is in actual fact not a vacuum?
2006-12-15 11:26:10 · 20 answers · asked by bonnie 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
No particle can travel faster than light. Nothing made of matter (something with a rest mass of more than zero) can never be accelerated to the speed of light. I dont understand why even if a particle could do that you'd draw something about the fabric of space. Before you conclude its a vacuum dont forget about the quantum foam which pervades every part of it, even inside our bodies.
Smaller than atoms you have protons, neutrons and electrons - protons and neutrons are in turn made up of 3 quarks.
Some physicists now believe that all elementary particles are made up of vibrating strings much smaller than we can see - in fact millions of times smaller than protons.
2006-12-15 23:02:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As everyone else has said, the smallest known particle is a quark - and that, like everything else, cannot ever travel faster than light. Maybe there are some things that already travel FTL, but it appears that they can't ever decelerate down to slower than light. Think of the speed of light as being a bridge that's impassable from either side. If you're slower, you can't go faster, if you're faster, you can't go slower.
You know, I've been reading a lot about sub-atomic particles, recently. Genuinely fascinating subject - throws up all sorts of questions about the universe.
I can totally recommend a book called The Universe Next Door by Marcus Chown. Jaw dropping stuff - put it on your Xmas list xx
2006-12-16 02:10:56 · answer #2 · answered by Hello Dave 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many people are making incomplete suggestions or are not answering the question... it is true that quarks are subunits of protons and neutrons, but what has been immediately overlooked is that electrons are MUCH smaller than quarks... nerutrons also have a neutrino that is much smaller than an electron... smaller still, but possibly controvertial is the photon, or single particle of light, which has no mass and is ridiculously small (very technical, i know)... the controversy is the wave/particle dilemma which need not be addressed here... there are also possible massless particles that are responsible for conveying the strong and electroweak forces (which i do not know the names of), as well as the hypothesized, but undiscovered gravitron (which effects gravity)... i can't say specifically which is smallest, but i hope that this will give you enough information to look up these particles and determine which one is... i do not know of any other particles that would be candidates for the smallest particle...
in summary, the candidate particles are...
neutrino
photon
electroweak effector particle
strong force effector particle
anyone else want to pick up where i left off?
2006-12-15 15:07:23 · answer #3 · answered by theba_boy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The fundamental particle inside an atom is called a quark. There are many different types of quarks (up, down, top, bottom, strange, charm) that make up many different types of particle (eg. Protons).
In answer to your next question... quarks can never be isolated. It is impossible to separate them from other quarks. If in some freak case a quark was isolated it would never be able to accelerate to the speed of light. Nothing can ever travel faster than light as it would require an infinite amount of energy to sustain it. It would also become infinitely "heavy".
2006-12-15 12:14:41 · answer #4 · answered by murphypjr 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
At last some intelligent conversion. Who said it passes through space faster than the speed of light. The smallest particle is called 'invisible'
2006-12-15 12:13:22 · answer #5 · answered by whatsinaname58 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light cannot be exceeded.
The quark is generally believed to be the smallest fundamental particle.
A quark is made up of quantum space units that coalesced due to the vortices induced by the quantum effect after the big bang.
2006-12-16 02:10:41 · answer #6 · answered by Billy Butthead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
quarks are the smallest particles known i think.
physicists are trying to say that nothing moves faster than the speed of light. anything that appears to is actually in point a and then point c without traveling the space in between.
this preserves Einstein's theory
2006-12-15 11:36:44 · answer #7 · answered by Flint 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Everything we know about does not come from something. Conservation of energy breaks in quantum mechanics. Things like quantum foam show particles popping in and out of existence with no cause. This also causes a small, but measurable force called the Casimir Effect.
2016-03-29 08:43:40 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wharf was on star trek. A quark is the fundamental particle, but I think there may be particles smaller than a quark, particles that make quarks. They look for these in high energy particle collisions.
Hope this helps.
2006-12-15 11:49:04 · answer #9 · answered by vidigod 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
atoms can be broken down into smaller parts. electrons and quarks are the smallest detectable bits, i think... nothing can travel faster than the speed of light... Space is not empty anywhere.
2006-12-15 18:04:51 · answer #10 · answered by 670000000mph 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋