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Asked by u12laversb to Dilwar, Lou, Simon, Susan on 20 Nov 2013.
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Dilwar Hussain answered on 20 Nov 2013:
Everything we see (and can’t see) around us is made up of atoms. Every atom contains a nucleus with electrons going round it. Inside this nucleus, there are smaller particles called protons and neutrons..all which is held together by the strong force. That’s why it doesn’t just blow apart. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have no charge and electrons have negative charge. But protons are not the smallest particles. Protons and neutrons are made up of smaller particles called quarks. 3 quarks make up a proton and 3 quarks make up a neutron. Quarks come in different types. But there’s more. The Higgs Boson which was discovered in CERN in France this year provides the mass for these quarks and it is the Higgs that is the smallest particle. I hope that answers your question.
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Susan Skelton answered on 21 Nov 2013:
Great question, u12laversb!
Atoms are the building blocks of life – they are the smallest pieces of matter in the universe! Atoms are like the lego bricks of nature: they are used to build everything from houses and mountains, to living things like trees and people.
Atoms are very small (there are trillions and trillions of them in one human body!), but they are not yet the smallest thing….
Atoms are made of smaller particles called protons, neutrons and electrons. These particles are so small they are basically just little dots of electricity! Protons and neutrons stick together to form what is called the nucleus of the atom. Electrons are much smaller than protons and neutrons and they spin in orbits around the nucleus, like moons orbiting a planet.
We think electrons are ‘elementary particles’ – that means that we cannot break them up into anything smaller: inside an electron there is only, well, electron!
But we know that protons and neutrons are each made up of three smaller particles called quarks. We still don’t know if quarks are the smallest particles or if there are something inside them. Some scientists think they might be full of tiny little tangled up strings, but we’ll have to wait for the results of more experiments from particle colliders at places like CERN to know for sure!
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