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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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13y ago

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More answers

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.

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16y ago
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smaller and contains most of the atom's mass

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14y ago
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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.

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15y ago
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The nucleus is about 1/3 of the size of the atom.

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10y ago
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electrically neutal

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12y ago
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The nucleus is of course smaller.

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8y ago
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Q: How big is the nucleus compared to the atom as a whole?
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