Neutron By Emma

What is a Neutron? The Neutron A neutron is a subatomic particle (particles that are smaller than the atom). Neutrons are particles that make up the atom with the protons and the electrons. While protons have a positive charge and the electrons have a negative charge, neutrons are neutral- they have no charge. Neutrons are made out of quarks, and it has one up quark and two down quarks. The quarks in a neutron is held together by gluons, which carry the strong force.

Why are neutrons so important? The nucleus might seem unnecessary in an atom, but it actually plays a big role in it. Here are some of it; The neutrons keep the nucleus together, because the nucleus contains protons with a positive charge, and same charges repel each other. Therefore, without the neutrons, the nucleus will not be held together. If there is too much or too less neutrons in the nucleus, the atom will become radioactive. Radioactive atoms (or radioactivity) can be used for producing energy, making medical imaging technology (such as X-rays), and makes it possible to study matter to understand the universe better.

Who discovered the neutron? In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron. He was born in 1891 in Manchester, England. He noticed a flaw in Rutherford’s atomic structure containing only protons and electrons, and thought up that a new third particle called the neutron might exist. After a few experiments, he proved he was right. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1935 for his discovery.

The connections of the atom Electron: an elementary particle; a type of leptons. proton Strong force - neutron quarks gluons + + + - Strong force gluons quarks

How the neutron is connected to other particles & forces #1 The neutron is consisted of one blue up quark, and a red and green down quarks. Because there is all three colours, the neutron is stable, and it has no charge whatsoever. Quarks have six types of quarks: up, down, top, bottom, strange, and top. They are a type of fermions, which are the matter particles. Gluons are a type of bosons, the force-carrying particles. Other types of bosons are: photons, Z-bosons, and the W-bosons. They are also a type of fermions. The quarks that make up the neutron is held together by gluons, a type of bosons (force-carrier particles) that carries the strong force. The atom’s nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons, and they need each other in order for the nuclei to be stable.

How the neutron is connected to other particles & forces #2 Protons are consisted of a red and blue up quarks and a green down quark, which is also held together by gluons and the strong force. Even though the strong force holds the protons & neutrons (the nuclei) together, the electromagnetism force holds the entire atom together, including electrons. Unlike protons and neutrons that form the nuclei, electrons circle the nucleus at a high speed. Electrons are not made out of quarks and gluons and strong forces, but it is an elementary particle, which is a type of leptons. Other types of leptons include: electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos, tau neutrinos, electrons, muons, and taus.

So what is the world made out of exactly? The answer can be very different to lots of people; to a biologist, the world is made out of living things and inanimate objects. To a physicist, however, the world is made out of tiny particles called atoms, and they will talk about protons and neutrons and electrons and hadrons and leptons and gluons and quarks and so on. In 400 BC, Democritus found out there was a particle called the atom that couldn't be split anymore, and so on, the nucleus was discovered, then protons, neutrons, and electrons, then quarks, and who knows what might quarks be consisted of? Maybe they are not actually elementary particles. So can matter be split forever? Nobody knows. However, we know that everything is not exactly what we see with our eyes. Maybe that is the best answer, for that is certain.

References www.chem4kids.com www.quora.com www.sciforums.com www.scienceline.org www.wikipedia.org