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.

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 ...

The number of protons + neutrons A = 4. If the number of neutrons N is 2 then there must be 4 - 2 = 2 protons. There are 2 protons in the helium nucleus. A helium atom has two electrons in an energy ...

Protons and neutrons are the heaviest particles in an atom and as a result they make up most of its mass. The mass of electrons is very small and often not considered to be significant. The number of ...

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 ...

QUESTION: Is an atom really hard to break? ANSWER: Not really — we can slice them, dice them, or smash them. Let me explain a little about an atom first, and you will know what I mean. The center of ...

Physicists now know why quarks, the building blocks of the universe, move more slowly inside atomic nuclei, solving a 35-year-old-mystery. Quarks, the smallest particles in the universe, are far ...

My nine-year-old is obsessed with atoms and that has extended to questions about what happens when you split them, how does it cause an explosion and can atoms be split in space? What are atoms?

Stephen L. Levy receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is affiliated with CyteQuest, Inc. Richard Feynman, a famous theoretical physicist who ...