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The Smallest Particle
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Atoms have been bothering me. How is it possible to have a "smallest paticle/peice?" Unless it is energy why cant an atom be broken down infinitely into smaller peices?! My head hurts :P |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by
on 2005-01-13 01:15:09 |
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atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. currently, we think of these as three, along with many others, to be "fundamental particles". however, the behavior of these particles can be explained by the existence of quarks. the problem is, once you break things down that far, the concepts begin to make less and less sense. there is a spectrum ranging from large to small, paralleled by our general to exact understanding. the farther in we go, the more accurately we can predict what will happen in an experiment, but we end up having to define the experiment more generally. 
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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Right now, one of the hottest subjects in the physics world is something called the "top quark." Currently, it exists only in theory, but physicists are racing to try to prove the idea in reality. Supposedly, trace evidence of the top quark will appear if protons and/or electrons are smashed against each other the right way, but because of the fact that there are so few particle-smashers in the world (I think there're only about three), the going is rather slow. But the physicists keep trying, because if they make the discovery, the group that does it is, for all intents and purposes, guaranteed the Nobel Prize for Physics in the following few years.
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by TaiyakiFerret
on 2005-01-15 16:15:27
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| quarks are now believed to be composed of "strings" more like energetic vibrations though... of course this is still theory and there most likely won't be any way to verify this in the near future. so as of so far, the smallest particle would have to be the quark. They actually have generated some within the SLAC particle accelerator. oh yeah... electrons are technically considered quarks as well I think, I did some research into the subject 2 years ago... but my memory may be failing me. |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by
on 2005-01-15 18:18:19 |
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i dont think that quarks are thought to be 'composed' of strings... rather, in string theory, all fundamental particles are packages of energy that behave like strings in between 11 or 12 dimensions. they vibrate, accounting for superposition. some are closed-looped, while some are open ended strings, accounting for the strangely weak interaction of gravitons. stop me if im wrong.
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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can we just stick to electrons are the smallest and screw quarks which make life more difficult?
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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I recall from ages back that each proton or neutron has 3 quarks inside it, so that would in theory make the mass of a quark 1/3 that of a proton. But then, since an electron is 1/1864 of the mass of a proton, does that not mean electrons are the smallest particle in existence? Or are they just not very dense?
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by sublimation
on 2005-02-21 12:52:39
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well an atom is small and three different things make up an atom, thenn what makes up the electron, protron and neutron? if there is something that dies, what makes up the parts that make up the parts that make up an atom. you could go on like that for ever an ever.
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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But should we assume that quarks are also made up of even smaller particles that actually gives them their mass?
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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I heard about the string theory. A Science teacher jubilated by the idea told the class that there is a new theory on a smaller partical... or better yet 'idea'. And I love the idea of 'strings' or wave leangths because it reminds me of all the SciFi books I read where different parallel universes were next to each other and if 2 had very similer vibrations you could jump from one to the next. Very interesting ideas. Most likely not possibale but interesting see my art site!!! Opens up in a new window! |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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| I've read about the string theory. It states that all particles are made of tiny, fundamental "strings" or "loops" that vibrate in a particular pattern to create a specific particle. It's much like an instrument. For example, by vibrating a string on a guitar, it creates a sound. Different strings on a guitar create different sounds, right? The superstrings work in a similar manner. They vibrate in a certain way to create a certain particle. |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-03-01 16:39:28
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to answer to "Unless it is energy why cant an atom be broken down infinitely into smaller peices?!"... All mass is energy. E=mc^2, mass is nothing more than highly compressed energy, so in thoery there is no finite particle, though in search of a point-particle has lead to equations ending in infinity. So far with string thoery the gavitron would be the smallest particle (though not found, and no mass) and I forget which of the quarks or electron has the smallest mass/radius.
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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If matter is just highly compressed energy, then why isn't the smallese particle the photon or something???
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-03-06 14:34:53
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A photon is a massless particle that carries electromagentic force.. or light. the gravitron is a theoretical particle the transmits gravitional force, because gravity is much weaker than any other force, the gravitron is much smaller, and with todays particle accelerators it cant be found. I believe on is being built in Sweden for it. Also the gravitron would link Einsteinian physics and quantum mechanics
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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| If I'm not wrong, a photon is not a particle but just a packet of energy... the smallest particle currently, is the quark... there are 3 quarks in a neutron or proton, and scientist believe that each quark is either charged with a +2/3 charge or a -1/3 charge... I think that each quark do not take up all the space, and its slightly smaller than the electron... last of all, all mass is most probably not energy... If I'm not wrong, e=mc square only applies to the tiny mass left over from the atom, when the mass of your protons and neutrons and electrons are removed... that is the mass of the energy inside... and well, I think that the particles vibrate due mainly to the energy inside it, like heat energy... it is theoretically possible to stop an atom from vibrating, that's by dropping its temperature to absolute zero... which is still not possible until now... however, vibration of the atom greatly reduces as its temperature nears absolute zero. |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-03-15 20:12:48 (edited 2005-03-15 21:33:05)
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Ok first off. "The relationship E=mc^2 shows that mass is a form of energy, where c^2... is just a constant conversion factor. This expression also shows that small mass corresponds to an enormous amount of energy, a concept fundamental to nuclear and elementary-particle physics" (Jewett, Physics V.2, pg 1271) straight from my freshman textbook. A nuclear reaction engery release is found using a very simular equation in which the mass of the parent nuclei minus the duaghter nuclei give the mass defect which then is multiplied by c^2. Nuclear reactions are close to a 1% mass released into energy reaction. Fussion is about 5% right now and Anti-matter and matter is 100%. sigh since I got out my textbook I'll also answer this forum topic when I find the mass of these things... but later
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-03-15 21:44:10
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Okay, after watching bleach I can answer this.... particles, a particle is really just anything that could be considered dimensionless due to its small size. Photons, Gluons, Gravitons, are all particles but have zero mass, these would be the smallest particle with the graviton being theh weakess of them all. Now with subatomic particles with mass, the winner with the smallest mass is, the muon-neutrino with a mass of <0.3 MeV/c^2. sorry about my spelling I am not a big fan of "language"
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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I'm no physics nut, but when I first read the title of the thread, singularities just popped up in my head. But then again, after reading the whole thread, I guess you're talking about a particle with the smallest mass then, and not volume? I guess that kinda throws singularities outta the discussion... Apologies if I'm babbling..... >.< |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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I thought quarks were made up of smaller particles, like the hadron, boson, meson - stuff like that... I thought the photon was massless; it is one w/c has momentum but no mass, right? |
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Re: The Smallest Particle
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-04-25 19:43:10 (edited 2005-04-25 19:52:35)
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Particle Physics 101 lets do this quick and overly simplified.... All four of the forces have a particle, these are called Field particles, exchange particles, gauge bosons. Nuclear (strong) uses the Gluon, Electromagnetic uses the photon and gravity uses the graviton. weak force uses W and Z bosoms. All of these are massless except the W and Z bosons which lead to the thoerized Higgs Boson. Everything else breaks up into Hadrons and Leptons.. Hadrons are things that are heavy (hadron=heavy, greek) and leptons are light (leptos=small, greek).. leptons are electrons and the sort and are elementary and hadrons are protons, neutrons, etc and are broken down further into quarks. With Hadrons you have the Mesons and Baryons. Mesons are lighter than protons and heavier than electrons. They have spins of 0 or 1 and also decay alot into leptons, the pion is a meson. Then there are Baryons which are heavier or equal in mass to a proton. these have integer spin(1/2, 3/2). Baryons also decay but into a lepton and proton.. except for protons which dont decay (duh). All hadrons are broken down into Quarks, Mesons have two quarks and Baryons have three. Five or so gauge bosons, six quarks, six leptons.. thats the elementary particles... then you have the anti particles.... there are around seven or so baryons.... and 3 mesons.... thier anit-particles... supersymmetry calls for superpartners (only string theory uses supersymmetry)... so thats like.. 50 gajillion million particles that NO ONE needs to know ever.... ever
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