Not very big. The nucleus of an atom, the part containing protons and neutrons (1H, protium, consists of only a proton and an electron) takes up only a tiny portion of the atom's volume. The volume of an atom is really described by the movement of the electrons that orbit about the nucleus. Those electrons are a looooong way from the proton(s) relative to their size. A nucleus is about 10 FM in diameter. In a solid, nuclei are 1000000 or more FM apart.
Hydrogen is small compared to other atoms. To scale it up: if the proton in its nucleus was enlarged to the size of a Basketball, the electron would be some 20 miles away or so. With other atoms, the picture gets more crazy. The reality is that an atom is mostly space, and you've probably heard that. The nucleus of an atom is super tiny compared to the 95% boundary described by the outer electrons of an atom. The boundary can't be well-defined, really, because of what quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle, and Schroedinger's wave equation have to say.
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If the total atom was the size of a football field, then the nucleus would be the size of an apple in the middle of the field.
My old chemistry professor used this analogy:
If you put a pea in the middle of a football stadium, the outermost seats would be where the first electron orbital is.
Well, honey, the nucleus is about 100,000 times smaller than the whole atom. It's like comparing a pea to a watermelon - one's a tiny powerhouse, and the other's just there for show. Just remember, size isn't everything, especially in the world of atoms.
Atoms. The nucleus of an atom (containing protons and usually neutrons) is small and dense. Electrons can be considered to be a comparatively big cloud surrounding the nucleus of an atom. In this sense, atoms are tiny but mostly contain space.
Depends on how big the whole apple was.
The whale looked really BIG compared to the little girl. that's how
Two reasons: - the nucleus is stained - the magnifying power of the microscope makes small things look big