Quarks - 10-15m
Fundamental building blocks of matter, forming protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei.
There are six kinds of quarks, known as flavors:
- Up
- Down
- Charm
- Strange
- Top
- Bottom
Proton - 10-14m
Positively charged particle found in the nucleus, crucial for atomic identity. These consist of two up quarks and one down quark.
The number of protons in an atom's nucleus defines what element it is, for example, all hydrogen atoms have one proton, all helium atoms have two protons.
Learn MoreProtons are classified as baryons and are composed of two up quarks and one down quark.
Atom nucleus - 10-13m
The dense core of an atom, holding almost all its mass, containing both protons and neutrons. These are bound together by the strong nuclear force
The following table displays the common elements which contain varying numbers of protons and neutrons:
| Element | Protons | Neutrons |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen | 1 | 0 |
| Carbon | 6 | 6 |
| Oxygen | 8 | 8 |
| Iron | 26 | 30 |
| Uranium | 92 | 146 |
Electron Cloud - 10-12m
Probable location of an electron orbiting an atomic nucleus. It is not a solid shell, but rather a probabilistic area that describes where an electron may be located around the nucleus at a given time.
The model below describes this, with the nucleus in the centre and the cloud describing the potential locations of the electron.
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Hydrogen Atom - 10-11m
The simplest form of matter, defining the chemical elements. A single proton makes up the nucleus, which one electron orbits.
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