Protons are tiny particles just a femtometer across, but without them, atoms wouldn't exist. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

This lesson utilizes an adaptation of the board game Subatomic: An Atom Building Game to help students learn about the different parts that make up an atom. During their turn, players can choose to ...

All the elements in the Periodic Table are made from different atoms, and the structure of these atoms results in a gamut of phenomena from radioactive decay to nuclear power. When you purchase ...

When most of us picture an atom, we think about a small nucleus made of protons and neutrons orbited by one or more electrons. We view these electrons as point-like while rapidly orbiting the nucleus.

When building an atom, pay close attention to the particles' electrical charges. Protons have a charge of +1. Electrons have a charge of -1. Neutrons are neutral, as their name implies. A stable atom ...

I’ve enjoyed writing answers to some questions from kids in recent weeks, including “How Strong Is Space?” and “Can Atoms Touch Each Other?” The best kid questions are phrased in a way that seems to ...

The observable universe is estimated to contain about 10 53 kilograms of ordinary matter, most of that in the form of some 10 80 protons and neutrons, which, along with electrons, are the ingredients ...

The stuff you scrape off burnt toast is made primarily of atoms of carbon. But what makes up a carbon atom—or any other atom? The first subatomic particle to be identified was the electron, in 1898.

From nearly indestructible metals, like tungsten, to delicate clouds in the sky, atoms make up everything around us. But do these atoms ever touch each other? As with most topics in atomic physics, ...

Artemis Spyrou receives funding from the US National Science Foundation. Sean Liddick receives funding from the Department of Energy, Office of Science and the Department of Energy, National Nuclear ...

If you hit an atom’s nucleus hard enough, it will fall apart. But exactly how it falls apart tells us something about the internal structure of the nucleus and perhaps about the interior of neutron ...

There’s a pencil lying on my desk right now. It’s not much to look at, but what if I could zoom way in and see the protons and other itty-bitty stuff inside it? My friend Ryan Corbin told me it would ...