How big is the atom really Using a scaling approach how big would the nucleus be if the atomic radius was the size of the halfway line in a football field?

Answer 1

The diameter of ''the atom'' would be the hydrogen atom, the smallest elementary building block to create molecules.

The diameter of the radius of the core (in Angstrom) divided by the outer radius of the hydrogen atom (in Angstrom) gives

a ratio of the size of the outer shell compared to the nucleus.

(1.7 * (10^(-5))) / 2.4=7.083333× 10-6multiplying this factor with the radius of a footballfield, taking 48.8 meters for example gives the relative size of the nucleus or core. 7.0833333 × (10^(-6)) * 48.8 = 0.000345666665 metersthis is 0.35 millimeters / 0.0136 inch or about 1/74th of an inch.

Most of the space of the atom probably consists of just what we define as vacuum with electrons moving.

I hope this answer gives some insight into the idea of ''transparency'' of materials with the aid of scans that may seem completely opaque to the naked eye because the frequencies we see with our eyes have wavelenghts MUCH greater than atoms.

Answer 2

Atoms are incredibly small, with a typical atomic radius ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers. Using a scaling approach, if the atomic radius was the size of the halfway line in a football field (45 meters), the nucleus would be proportionally smaller, around 1000 times smaller, placing it at the nanometer to sub-nanometer scale.