Is matter mostly empty space?

Atoms are not mostly empty space because there is no such thing as purely empty space. It’s true that a large percentage of the atom’s mass is concentrated in its tiny nucleus, but that does not imply that the rest of the atom is empty. Rather, it implies that the rest of the atom has relatively low density.

Do electrons take up most of the atom’s space?

The nucleus makes up a tiny proportion of the space occupied by an atom, while the electrons make up the rest. According to quantum electrodynamics, the space is filled by an electron field around the nucleus which neutralizes its charge and fills the space defining the atom size.

What is the space between protons and electrons?

The Bohr radius, is the estimated distance between protons in the nucleus and electrons – but electrons aren’t solid, stationary particles… The simple answer would be about one-twentieth of a nanometre.

How much of the universe is nothing?

So all of the matter in the universe would fit into about 1 billion cubic light years, or a cube that’s approximately 1,000 light years on each side. That means that only about 0.0000000000000000000042 percent of the universe contains any matter. The universe is a pretty empty place!

What takes up most of an atom’s size?

The nucleus contains the majority of an atom’s mass because protons and neutrons are much heavier than electrons, whereas electrons occupy almost all of an atom’s volume. The diameter of an atom is on the order of 10−10 m, whereas the diameter of the nucleus is roughly 10−15 m—about 100,000 times smaller.

Does the number of neutrons matter in the charge calculation?

Neutrons do not have a net electric charge, so the number of neutrons does not matter in the calculation. The number of protons of an atom cannot change via any chemical reaction, so you add or subtract electrons to get the correct charge.

What happens to electrons when they get closer to the nucleus?

As the electron gets closer to the nucleus, its energy and speed increases. It ends up moving in a region surrounding the nucleus at a speed that is great enough to balance the attraction that is pulling it in, so the electron does not crash into the nucleus.

What happens when you put a balloon on a neutral paper?

When you bring the balloon near the paper, the electrons from the balloon repel the electrons in the paper. Since more protons are at the surface of the paper, it has a positive change. The electrons are still on the paper, just not at the surface, so overall the paper is neutral.

Where are protons and neutrons found in an atom?

Protons and neutrons are in the center (nucleus) of the atom. You may want to mention that hydrogen is the only atom that usually has no neutrons. The nucleus of most hydrogen atoms is composed of just 1 proton.