proton
Pronunciation: [ˈproʊtɒn]
Word
Context: “science”
(noun) a small particle that is found in the center of an atom. Protons are positively charged, which means they have a type of energy that attracts negatively charged particles called electrons. Protons help to determine what kind of element something is, like if it's gold or oxygen.
Example
An atom of hydrogen has one proton in its nucleus.
Example
A neutron does not have a charge like a proton does; instead, it is neutral.
Example
How many protons does an oxygen atom have?
Context: “physics”
(noun) a type of particle used in certain types of research and experiments, especially in physics. Scientists study protons to learn more about energy and matter because they play a big role in how atoms behave.
Example
Researchers used protons in their experiments to discover new particles.
Example
They did not measure neutrons in the same way that they measured protons.
Example
Why do scientists accelerate protons in particle physics experiments?
0s0s