proton
A proton carries one positive elementary charge. This topic is part of Physics within Science & Nature. This page currently draws on 46 supporting questions, with answers and bonus facts available below.
proton trivia questions
What electric charge does a proton carry?
Answer: Positive
Bonus fact: A proton carries one positive elementary charge.
Where are protons found in an atom?
Answer: Nucleus
Bonus fact: Atomic nuclei contain protons and neutrons.
What determines which chemical element an atom is?
Answer: Number of protons
Bonus fact: Atomic number equals the number of protons.
In beta-minus decay, a neutron changes into a proton while emitting an electron and what other particle?
Answer: Antineutrino
Bonus fact: The weak interaction produces an electron antineutrino.
What force holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus?
Answer: Strong nuclear force
Bonus fact: The strong force overcomes proton-proton electrical repulsion at short range.
What type of electric charge does a proton have?
Answer: Positive
Bonus fact: A proton carries one positive elementary charge.
The magnitude of a proton's charge is equal to that of what particle?
Answer: Electron
Bonus fact: The charges are equal in magnitude and opposite in sign.
Two isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons but different numbers of what?
Answer: Neutrons
Bonus fact: Changing neutron count changes the mass number without changing the element's identity.
How many up quarks are found in a proton?
Answer: Two
Bonus fact: A proton contains two up quarks and one down quark, while a neutron has one up and two down quarks.
Which fundamental force binds quarks together inside protons and neutrons?
Answer: The strong nuclear force
Bonus fact: The strong interaction is the most powerful of the four fundamental interactions at subatomic distances.
What related effect helps bind protons and neutrons together inside atomic nuclei?
Answer: The residual strong force
Bonus fact: The force between nucleons can be understood as a leftover effect of the underlying quark-and-gluon interaction.
What is the term for the energy needed to separate a nucleus completely into its protons and neutrons?
Answer: Nuclear binding energy
Bonus fact: Binding energy helps explain why some nuclear reactions can release enormous amounts of energy.