• Question: what is a atom made out of?

    Asked by sammy1 to Ben, Clare, Ezzy, Mario, Sam on 16 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Ben Smart

      Ben Smart answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      Atoms are made up from protons and neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons are in a little ball called the nucleus in the center of the atom, and the electrons are further out around the nucleus, like planets orbiting the sun.
      But we’ve discovered that protons and neutrons are made up of even smaller things called quarks and gluons. You get 3 quarks in each proton and neutron, and the gluons hold them all together (they ‘glue’ things together, which is where their name comes from).
      So atoms are made out of electrons, quarks and gluons!

    • Photo: Mario Campanelli

      Mario Campanelli answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      protons and neutrons in nuclei, and electrons turning around them. Plus a lot of photons, that convey the electromagnetic force between them

    • Photo: Clare Burrage

      Clare Burrage answered on 17 Mar 2012:

      Atoms are made of protons and neutrons and electrons. We think electrons are fundamental particles but the protons and neutrons are made up of even smaller particles called quarks and gluons. The protons and neutrons live together in the center of the nucleus and the electrons circle around them.
      How many protons there are in an atom tells you what kind of atom it is, hydrogen has one proton, helium has two, and so on.
      How many electrons there are tells you the charge of the atom.

    • Photo: Elizabeth Pearson

      Elizabeth Pearson answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Mostly an atom is made out of nothing. If the nucleus was the size of a pea then the electrons would be at the back of the stands. The nucleus is made out of neutrons and protons, which are made of quarks which are probably made out of something else that we don’t know about yet. If you get far enough down everything will most likely be energy

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