Model Titanium
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
I need to make a 3-D model of an atom, I picked Titanium. What I need to know atr the electrons bigger than the protons?
- Mark Furst (age 14)
Dacula. GA
- Mark Furst (age 14)
Dacula. GA
A:
Mark -
I’m guessing that the model you’re building has little wooden balls (or something like that) for the electrons and the protons. This is a pretty common way of looking at atoms, although (as we’re going to get to soon) it’s not actually right. One thing we can say is that protons are much heavier than electrons (1800 times heavier!). So in most home-made models, the electron "ball" is much smaller than the proton.
Protons do have a definite size. They are made up of stuff, quarks and gluons, which move around each other. Electrons (on the other hand) are, as far as we know, "point particles." That means there’s nothing inside of one - and we can’t really say how "big" one is. And because they are so much lighter, they are harder to pin down - they aren’t little "balls" at all, and they don’t sit still, ever. They inhabit "clouds" or "orbitals" surrounding the nucleus; the size of an atom is determined by how big these clouds are.
For more information on building a model atom the way it really looks, check out the answer to the questions and .
For more information on Titanium, check out . (Note: the picture of the nucleus / electrons on the right side of this page is totally out of proportion.)
-Tamara, Tom, and Tim
I’m guessing that the model you’re building has little wooden balls (or something like that) for the electrons and the protons. This is a pretty common way of looking at atoms, although (as we’re going to get to soon) it’s not actually right. One thing we can say is that protons are much heavier than electrons (1800 times heavier!). So in most home-made models, the electron "ball" is much smaller than the proton.
Protons do have a definite size. They are made up of stuff, quarks and gluons, which move around each other. Electrons (on the other hand) are, as far as we know, "point particles." That means there’s nothing inside of one - and we can’t really say how "big" one is. And because they are so much lighter, they are harder to pin down - they aren’t little "balls" at all, and they don’t sit still, ever. They inhabit "clouds" or "orbitals" surrounding the nucleus; the size of an atom is determined by how big these clouds are.
For more information on building a model atom the way it really looks, check out the answer to the questions and .
For more information on Titanium, check out . (Note: the picture of the nucleus / electrons on the right side of this page is totally out of proportion.)
-Tamara, Tom, and Tim
(published on 10/22/2007)