You may say an Atom but an atom consists of(i think) protons, neutrons and electrons. I think that electrons are the smallest. But there is a volume of an electron. Like say(just pretend) that a electron is one inch/2.54 centimeters long. Couldn't you cut it in half and then in half again and then again. So is there really a "smallest thing in the world". Thanks!
2006-12-19 13:56:07 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
a snowflake
2006-12-19 14:03:44 · answer #1 · answered by Byzantino 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋
Congratulations, You have discovered the difference between numbers and reality. Numbers can be divided infinitely, without end. Real things, like matter and energy, cannot be infinitely divided. Even energy comes in little indivisible packets, called photons, or quanta.
The smallest ‘thing’ in the world (that we know of, yet) is a quark, which are the particles that make up protons, neutrons and electrons. There is no such thing as the smallest number, because we can always think of a smaller fraction, or a value with more zeros after the decimal point.
20 DEC 06, 0315 hrs, GMT.
2006-12-19 14:12:54 · answer #2 · answered by cdf-rom 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Some people here are so far off the mark that I just HAVE to correct some mistakes:
1) Electrons do not contain quarks. Fact.
2) Electrons are smaller than quarks. Fact.
3) String's from string theory are not the smallest thing in the world because, in order to be the smallest thing, the dimentions of the string must be measured and the strings themselves define the dimentionallity of spacetime. Ergo, you can not measure the size of a string because it is from the strings that size is measured.
Forget 'size' of particles because all fundimental particles can be better described as waves and the 'location' of the particle is actually a probability distribution function of that entity: the highest probability is usually where the particle is considered to be but according to the uncertainty principal this can not be precisely known.
This accuracy of measurement has nothing to do with our equipment, it is a quantum mechanics FACT.
2006-12-20 00:04:05 · answer #3 · answered by Mawkish 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes - the smallest thing in the world would be at so-called Planck scale. If M-Theory is correct that smallest thing would be a "String".
Essentially it works out like this. At Planck scale the distance Light travels in the smallest possible time interval (called a Jiffie) is a distance which is called Planck Length. It is so unimaginably tiny, that trillions and trillions of measures of Planck Length would still be smaller than a single proton (which is really a giant among sub-atomic particles). A string would be a loop - like a rubber band - who's longest dimension would be exactly the same as the above mentioned distance light travels in a Jiffie.
That's pretty dern TINY!
2006-12-19 14:08:03 · answer #4 · answered by mytraver 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No. You cannot split an electron. As far as we know, the electron is the smallest particle on earth. Even though it has a mass and dimensions, an electron is indivisible. I think that is what atom means: atomos~small or indivisible or something like that...in Latin. Im not positive about that. But yeah. There is nothing smaller.
2006-12-19 14:01:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Apprantley Yes Atom Is beuse I done lots of resaxech about this and achvie my goal It Is True Atmom is small becuse Go to The Scale of Unvise 2 DONT GO ON 1 ITS THE OLD ONE ITS USELLESS
2013-12-03 19:25:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The smallest "thing" in the world, or rather distance is 10^-43 meters, the so-called "Planck Length" as dictated by quatum mechanics and math, which is complicated. Even if we knew of something that small, we would never see it.
2006-12-20 07:05:29 · answer #7 · answered by pantocrator 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, you really can't cut an electron. But effectively, they are made of things as well. I am pretty sure that quarks are THE smallest things. They make up the protons, neutrons, etc. I'm not certain, we didn't get into it in chem in high school.
Quarks are kind of an advanced topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarks
It kind of disturbs me the answers you were getting about people's penises. I certainly hope mine is the best answer or this world needs help...lol.
2006-12-19 13:58:33 · answer #8 · answered by Mike J 3 · 2⤊ 4⤋
No, you can't cut electron in half. It seems odd, but it's the smallest thing in the world and nothing can be any smaller.
2006-12-19 13:57:58 · answer #9 · answered by Crystal ♥'s Raymond 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
yeah, atoms havn't been proven as the samallest thing, and they say that atoms make up everything! but the what makes up an atom? electrons, protons, and neutrons, but what makes up those?
i don't know if there's a smallest thing, but whatever
2006-12-19 13:59:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
If you can divide an electron, that is a great achievement.
String, it is an idea of how things were made up. Did any one catch a string yet?
2006-12-20 14:56:06 · answer #11 · answered by chanljkk 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋