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Nucleons are particles that make up most of the mass of matter and are found in the nucleus of atoms. They are held together by the strong force, which is 100 times stronger than the electromagnetic force. Protons and neutrons can exist independently in radioactive decay, emitting harmful radiation. Particle accelerators have helped discover that nucleons are composed of smaller particles called quarks.
Nucleons are atomic particles that make up most of the mass of matter. Atoms have a nucleus made up of these particles, also known as protons and neutrons &mash; and electrons, which orbit the nucleus. An atom can be seen as a miniature solar system, with “planets” (electrons) orbiting a central “star” (the nucleus). Electrons have only 1/1836 the mass of protons and 1/1837 the mass of neutrons, while neutrons and protons have about the same mass.
Only rarely are nucleons found independently: usually they are tightly locked in the nucleus of atoms. They are held together by the strongest force in the universe, called the strong force. The strong force is about 100 times stronger than the electromagnetic force, but it operates only over extremely short distances, such as in an atomic nucleus. When its power is released, by breaking or fusing atomic nuclei together, the results are amazing. This is commonly known as “nuclear energy” and can be seen in the energy generated by the sun or in the destructive power of an atomic bomb.
Occasionally, protons and neutrons exist independently. Radioactive decay, found in substances such as uranium, is a process by which elements slowly emit protons and neutrons in forms known as alpha radiation. This, along with other forms of radioactive radiation, can be harmful to humans. Space is filled with such radiation, made up of energetic particles traveling in straight lines at speeds approaching the speed of light. These particles are emitted in small quantities from each star.
In particle accelerators, physicists accelerate atomic nuclei into each other at great speed, to detonate them and release a shower of particles that can be analyzed. Various exotic particles have been found this way. For example, in 1969, it was verified that nucleons were actually composed of smaller particles, called quarks, held together by force-mediating particles, called gluons. Prior to these high-energy experiments, quarks had been used as a convenient theoretical construct, but it wasn’t until after the experiments that it was determined that they were, in fact, real particles.
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