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This is actually more delicate than that. It is not possible to split a proton into its constituent quarks because quarks can never exist on their own. As far a

This is actually more delicate than that. It is not possible to split a proton into its constituent quarks because quarks can never exist on their own. As far as we know they only appear in pairs or three at a time as in the proton. There is also the issue of baryon number conservation. This is physical law (as far as we know) that says that the number of baryons must be constant. A proton is a baryon and neuron is a baryon but there are lots more. Anti-particles count negative so we can destroy a proton by combining it with an anti-proton, if we would happen to have one. But we cannot outright split the proton into some smaller set of parts as with an atom.

collyw 12y ago
>It is not possible to split a proton into its constituent quarks because quarks can never exist on their own. In the same way that the atom was not divisible 100 years ago?
- heinrich5991 12y ago
  Back then scientists didn't have a model for what is inside an atom though, while we do have a model for what is inside a proton.
  - jnbiche 12y ago
    >Back then scientists didn't have a model for what is inside an atom though Yes, they did: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_model From 1913. Not a complete model, as we now know, but nonetheless, scientists did have a model of the atom 100 years ago.
- justbaker 12y ago
  Gahh but that's not how quarks work. Paired up, always.
- saalweachter 12y ago
  The explanation I was given was that the binding energy of the quarks in a proton is greater than the energy it takes to create a new set of quarks. So before you can pump enough energy into a proton to split it, you've pumped enough energy in for new quarks to appear, and you end up with two particles but no naked quarks.
rofl1234 12y ago
i'm not saying we're able to do it, but it seems doable: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_Star https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_Star

collyw 12y ago

>It is not possible to split a proton into its constituent quarks because quarks can never exist on their own. In the same way that the atom was not divisible 100 years ago?

heinrich5991 12y ago
Back then scientists didn't have a model for what is inside an atom though, while we do have a model for what is inside a proton.
- jnbiche 12y ago
  >Back then scientists didn't have a model for what is inside an atom though Yes, they did: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_model From 1913. Not a complete model, as we now know, but nonetheless, scientists did have a model of the atom 100 years ago.
justbaker 12y ago
Gahh but that's not how quarks work. Paired up, always.
saalweachter 12y ago
The explanation I was given was that the binding energy of the quarks in a proton is greater than the energy it takes to create a new set of quarks. So before you can pump enough energy into a proton to split it, you've pumped enough energy in for new quarks to appear, and you end up with two particles but no naked quarks.

rofl1234 12y ago

i'm not saying we're able to do it, but it seems doable: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_Star https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_Star