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ilikescience94
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So how much denser than is a neutron star than an atom? Is it called a neutron star because electron's orbital effect no longer exists/acts the same, so as to no longer cause 99.99% of everything to be space?
ilikescience94 said:Wow denser than the nucleus of an atom, would that make it so that the strong nuclear force has a detectable field on a macroscopic sense outside of the neutron star?
Is it called a neutron star because electron's orbital effect no longer exists/acts the same, so as to no longer cause 99.99% of everything to be space?
Chronos said:Great explanation, drakkith, aside from being incorrect.
Chronos said:
Drakkith said:Nope.
It's called a neutron star because a great portion of the star is believed to be composed of neutrons. There should also be a mix of protons and electrons as well, with a greater proportion of neutrons to other particles as you get closer to the core. (Because the pressure is higher near the core, which makes it more favorable for protons to combine with electrons and form neutrons)
Also, it is a misconception to say that 99.99% of everything is empty space. Fundamental particles are thought of as point-like, meaning they have no dimensions. Yet atoms still have "sizes" based on how the electrons occupy their states around the nucleus. It's actually kind of complicated, and you'd have to look into Quantum Mechanics a bit to understand it.
ViperSRT3g said:I would say that you were incorrect in saying that it's a misconception to say that 99.99% of everything is empty space when you also said that the fundamental particles are point-like. They are point-like but interact with each other over a measurable distance, creating the "size" of the atomic system itself. The space within this system of interaction is almost entirely empty space.
That is why within a neutron star, we consider it to be made almost entirely out of neutrons because the matter is compressed so densely, that the space an atom occupies is compressed to the point where the atomic systems are essentially compacted together. At least in a neutron star, we can say with a fair amount of reasonable certainty, that it contains matter that is made up of far less than 99% of empty space.
ilikescience94 said:The 4th grade science definition of matter is something that has mass and takes up space, so by taking up space does this mean the size of the atomic system, even though the atomic system itself isn't taking up space the same way as we think that a desk does?
ViperSRT3g said:I would say that you were incorrect in saying that it's a misconception to say that 99.99% of everything is empty space when you also said that the fundamental particles are point-like. They are point-like but interact with each other over a measurable distance, creating the "size" of the atomic system itself. The space within this system of interaction is almost entirely empty space.
ilikescience94 said:The 4th grade science definition of matter is something that has mass and takes up space, so by taking up space does this mean the size of the atomic system, even though the atomic system itself isn't taking up space the same way as we think that a desk does?
Drakkith said:If fundamental particles are point-like, and if you believe that only particles are "physical" objects capable of taking up space, then 100% of everything is empty space. However if you consider that particles are believed to be "excitations" of fields then you could say that the space inside an atom is filled with these fields and is not empty.
Drakkith said:Because the pressure is higher near the core, which makes it more favorable for protons to combine with electrons and form neutrons.
A neutron star is a highly dense and compact object that is formed from the core of a massive star after it undergoes a supernova explosion. It is composed mostly of neutrons and has a diameter of about 10-20 kilometers. On the other hand, an atom is the basic unit of matter that is composed of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons. It has a diameter of about 0.1 nanometers.
Neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity. The intense pressure and heat cause the protons and electrons to combine and form neutrons, resulting in a highly dense neutron star. Atoms are formed through a process called nucleosynthesis, where protons and neutrons combine to form nuclei, and electrons are attracted to the nuclei, creating atoms.
A neutron star is much more massive than an atom. While the mass of an atom is measured in atomic mass units (amu), which is about 1.67 x 10^-27 kilograms, the mass of a neutron star is measured in solar masses, which is about 2 x 10^30 kilograms. This means that a neutron star is about a billion trillion times more massive than an atom.
The main difference in the structure of neutron stars and atoms is the density. Neutron stars have an incredibly high density, with some having a density of about 10^17 kg/m^3. In comparison, the density of an atom is much lower, with the electrons occupying most of the space within an atom's volume. Additionally, neutron stars have a uniform and homogenous structure, while atoms have a nucleus surrounded by electron shells.
Atoms can be found everywhere on Earth, as they are the building blocks of all matter. However, neutron stars are not found on Earth as they only exist in extreme conditions in outer space. The closest neutron star to Earth is around 400 light-years away, making them impossible to observe with the naked eye.