Subatomic scale
Domain of physical sizes which are smaller than atoms
The subatomic scale is the domain of physical size that encompasses objects smaller than an atom. It is the scale at which the atomic constituents, such as the nucleus containing protons and neutrons, and the electrons in their orbitals, become apparent.
The subatomic scale includes the many thousands of times smaller subnuclear scale, which is the scale of physical size at which constituents of the protons and neutrons, particularly quarks, become apparent. Basically, "Quantum mechanics provides the foundation for understanding matter and its behavior at the subatomic (absolutely small) level." In other words, "Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles."
Broadly this may be conveniently divided into:
- Fundamental elementary particles as small as 1×10−19 m, quanta that have not yet been further divided.
- Nuclear or femtometer 1×10−15 m scale related to subatomic particles
- Planck scale, at 1×10−35 m.
It is not possible to measure exactly everything that is going on at the subatomic scale.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Subatomic scale”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
