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Q:
What is a nucleon
- Arthur (age 18)
Kelvin Grove State College, Australia
A:
Hi Arthur,
The word "nucleon" is a term which refers to both protons and
neutrons, the constituents of atomic nuclei. A proton is a nucleon, and
so is a neutron.
There are also excited states of protons and neutrons which can be
produced in high-energy physics experiments. These may be called
nucleons too, or more appropriately "nucleon resonances", as long as
the number and types of quarks are the same as those in a proton or
neutron.
Tom
(published on 10/22/2007)
Follow-up on this answer.
