Curious children are a series of children of all ages. If you have a question you would like to answer the expert, send it to [email protected].
How is atoms formed? – Joshua, 7 years old, Shoreview, Minnesota
Richard Feynman, a renowned theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize, said that if he could convey only one part of scientific information to future generations, it would be that everything is made from atoms.
Understanding how the atoms are formed is the main and important question because they make everything with mass.
The question of where the atoms come from requires that many physics be able to answer – and even then, physics like me only have good speculations to explain how some atoms are formed.
What is an atom?
The atom consists of a heavy center called nucleus made of particles called protons and neutrons. The atom has lighter particles called electrones that you can think about as an orbit around the nucleus.
Each electron carries one unit of negative charge, protons – one unit of positive charge, and neutrons do not have a boot. The atom has the same number of protons as the electrons, so it is neutral – it has no common load.
Now most of the atoms of the universe are the two simplest species: hydrogen with one proton, zero neutron and one electron; And helium containing two protons, two neutrons and two electrons. Of course, on Earth, there are many atoms that are just as common, such as carbon and oxygen, but I will talk about them soon.
The element is what scientists call a group of atoms that are the same because they all have the same number of protons.
When did the first atoms formed?
Most of the universe hydrogen and helium atoms were formed about 400,000 years after the Great Bang, which is the name when scientists believe that the universe began about 14 billion years ago.
Why were they formed at the time? Astronomers from distant explosive stars know that the size of the universe has become larger from a large explosion. When hydrogen and helium atoms were formed first, the universe was about 1000 times smaller than it is now.
Based on their understanding of physics, scientists believe that the universe was much hotter when it was smaller.
Until this time, electrons had too much energy to settle in orbit around hydrogen and helium kernels. Thus, hydrogen and helium atoms can only occur when the universe has cooled to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius). For historical reasons, this process is misleadingly called recombination – the combination would be more descriptive.
Helis and deuterium – heavier form of hydrogen – nuclei, formed even earlier, just minutes after the big explosion, when the temperature was above 1 billion F (556 million C). Protons and neutrons can encounter and form nuclei, such only at very high temperatures.
Scientists believe that almost all simple in the universe are about 90% of hydrogen atoms and 8% helium atoms.
How do mass atoms formed?
Thus, hydrogen and helium atoms, which have been formed during recombination, when the cooler temperature allowed the electrics to fall into orbit. But you, me and almost everything on Earth, are made of much more massive atoms than just hydrogen and helium. How have these atoms been produced?
The surprising answer is that the stars have more massive atoms. To have atoms with multiple protons and neutrons stuck in the nucleus, this type of energy is needed to develop in very hot places. The energy needed to form a heavier nucleus must be large enough to overcome the repulsive electrical force, which positive loads, like two protons, feel with each other.
Protons and neutrons also have another property – similar to a different type of charge – are strong enough to tie them together as soon as they can handle them. This feature is called strong force, and the process that glues these particles together is called synthesis.
Scientists believe that most elements from carbon to iron are in stars, heavier than our sun, where temperatures can exceed 1 billion F (556 million C) – the same temperature as it was the universe when it was just a few minutes.
But even in hot stars, heavier than iron and nickel elements. This requires extra energy as heavier elements can be easier to break down into pieces.
At a dramatic event called “supernova”, the inner core of the heavy star suddenly collapses after it runs out of fuel. In a powerful explosion, this collapse activates, elements that are heavier than iron can form and push into the universe.
Astronomers still find out the details of other fantastic stars that make up larger atoms. For example, neutron stars can release a huge amount of energy and elements such as gold, on the way to black holes.
Understanding how atoms are produced, you need to learn some general relativity, as well as some nuclear, particle and nuclear physics. However, there are other things in the universe that seem to be made from normal atoms called dark substance in the universe. Scientists are investigating what dark matter is and how it can occur.
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This article has been published from a conversation, non -profit, independent news organizations that provide you with facts and reliable analysis to help you give meaning to our complex world. This was written: Stephen L. Levy, Binghamton University, New York State University
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Stephen L. Levy receives funding from the National Science Fund and National Health Institutes. It is associated with Cytequest, Inc.