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| Posted By: thief Posted On: Sep 12, 2004 Views: 1058 | small things I was wondering what is the smallest particle? I herd that protons and neutrons were made up of smaller particles, is this true? |
| Posted By: Keith Mayes Posted On: Sep 13, 2004 Views: 1057 | RE: small things Protons and neutrons are believed to be made up of quarks, which are believed to be the smallest particle. At even smaller sizes we enter the world of string theory and multiple dimension theory. Keith |
| Posted By: Horizon Posted On: Sep 13, 2004 Views: 1055 | RE: small things I dont fully understand that Keith, can you explain it to me further? You seem to know what you are talking about! |
| Posted By: Keith Mayes Posted On: Sep 14, 2004 Views: 1052 | RE: small things Okay. The smallest component of an element (an element being hydrogen, oxygen, helium, carbon etc.) is an atom, the unit that takes part in chemical reactions. An atom consists of a nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons. The nucleus is composed of neutrons and protons. Elementary particles are the basic constituents from which all material things are made. Strictly speaking, an elementary particle is one which cannot be broken down into smaller parts. By this definition there are only two families of elementary (or fundemental) particles, the quarks and leptons. The electron is a lepton, and as such is regarded as a truly fundamental particle. Although both neutrons and protons are composed of quarks, it is impossible for an isolated quark to exist, so protons and neutrons, and other baryons, are also usually regarded as elementary particles even though they are made of quarks. That's it in a nutshell. Loads more stuff about elementary particles can be found on the net, using Google or Yahoo for example, and on string theory and M theory, all of which is way too much for a message board. Hope that helps. Keith |
| Posted By: Horizon Posted On: Sep 14, 2004 Views: 1045 | RE: RE: small things Ok Keith, that sounds reasonable, but what about the radiation in the atom and what are neutrons and protons comprised of? |
| Posted By: Horizon Posted On: Sep 14, 2004 Views: 1041 | RE: RE: RE: small things Ignore that last question re what are protons and neutrons made up of, just re-read your post! But why is it impossible for an isolated quark to exist? |
| Posted By: thief Posted On: Sep 15, 2004 Views: 1036 | RE: small things Thanks for the info Keith. I would like to know more about quarks and leptons, i will google it to find out. I would also like to know why it is impossible for an isolated quark to exist. |
| Posted By: Keith Mayes Posted On: Sep 16, 2004 Views: 1032 | RE: small things You both want to know "But why is it impossible for an isolated quark to exist?" The answer is: nobody knows, it's just the way it is. Its a bit like being told that the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, and then asking why. It just is, we don't know why. |
| Posted By: Horizon Posted On: Oct 7, 2004 Views: 1016 | RE: small things Hmmm ok, but why dont we know that yet? Surely, over time we would be able to understand them a lot better... |
| Posted By: Keith Mayes Posted On: Oct 9, 2004 Views: 1011 | RE: small things Perhaps over time we will understand things much better, and so far throughout history this has indeed been the case. I don't think however, and this is of course purely my own opinion, that we can extend this reasoning to the point where we can expect to eventually understand everything. |
| Posted By: GeoDen Posted On: Nov 17, 2004 Views: 979 | RE: small things This topic reminds me of a quote by the great Richard Feynman, who said: "It's no good asking why it's that way, that's just the way it is!" |
| Posted By: Keith Mayes Posted On: Nov 17, 2004 Views: 977 | RE: small things He certainly was a great man, and a great teacher. He had a way of explaining the most complex topics in such an understandable and enjoyable way. Love reading his lectures! |
| Posted By: Orionix Posted On: Mar 26, 2005 Views: 933 | RE: small things I don't believe in infinite smallness but we have seen similar examples of patterns of particles implied smaller particles along with the rules that governed them. I believe that space-time is full of particles we don't know, such as the Higgs Bosons (which give mass to other particles), neutralinos and axions (the basic constituents of dark matter). Gravity remains a mistery but there are theories which state that it could be a manifestation of something more fundamental. |
| Posted By: Marshall Posted On: Mar 11, 2006 Views: 835 | RE: small things I am new to this web, I have read your question, yes,there are plenty of small particles which make up nature. According to my research, there actually even smaller particles called "Preon"(smaller constituent after Quarks), this was the one I found by sudden while reading a website few years ago, which I consider many didn`t know this. I believe there are many smaller particles behind even the smallest we known today. |