WHAT AND WHAT ARE SUBATOMIC PARTICLES? - PHYSICAL - 2024

The subatomic particles are those which are smaller than the atom. There are compound particles and elementary particles; on the other hand, the existence of virtual particles is also known.

Virtual particles are those that represent the middle step to the disintegration of an unstable particle and exist for a very short time.

In the field of physics, there is a division in charge of the study of these subatomic particles such as nuclear physics and particle physics.

In the case of elementary particles, most of them are not found in the earth under normal conditions, since many are unstable and tend to decompose quickly.

What is the atom?

The simplest way to define the atom is as the smallest particle into which a chemical element can be divided, without losing its chemical properties.

Today it is known that there are particles much smaller than the atom and that is where the subatomic particles come in.

What are the subatomic particles?

These particles are divided into elementary particles and compound particles. Many of them are characterized by being stable or unstable, but they all have in common the fact that they occur randomly, thanks to the impact of cosmic rays with atoms in the atmosphere. The most common and recently found particles are:

Proton

The proton can be defined as a subatomic particle that is inside the atomic nucleus and that consists of positive electric charge (+1 or 1.602 x 10 ^-19 coulombs).

Although it is a stable particle, there are rare types of proton decay, resulting in the emission of free protons.

Neutron

The neutron can be defined as a subatomic particle that is inside the atomic nucleus and that consists of a neutral electric charge.

Many claim that the neutron does not possess any kind of charge, but actually consists of three fundamental particles known as quark.

Electron

The neutron can be defined as a subatomic particle that is inside the atomic nucleus and that consists of negative electrical charge.

Electrons can be found not only in the nucleus of an atom, but also in the free state. Thanks to the movement of electrons, there is an electric current, which generates the energy necessary to turn on the electronic devices that we currently use.

Quark

Quarks are defined as elementary particles that interact to generate nuclear matter and hadrons. Various types of quarks can combine to create particles like neutrons and protons.

These subatomic particles are the only ones capable of interacting in such a way that they end up creating other types of particles. They can reach electromagnetic, gravitational and nuclear interactions.

Are there other types of subatomic particles?

Protons, neutrons, electrons, and quarks are not the only subatomic particles found today.

It is known of the existence of many other elementary and compound particles that, despite their instability, are of great renown in the world of physics and are highly studied.

Some of them are bosons, leptons, hadrons, neutrinos, the meson, among others.

References

1. Atom. Retrieved on December 16, 2017, from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org
2. Characteristics of sub-atomic particles. Retrieved on December 16, 2017, from Entelki: entelki.com
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4. Subatomic Particle. Retrieved on December 16, 2017, from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org
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6. Subatomic Particles. Retrieved on December 16, 2017, from the NDT Resource Center: nde-ed.org.