subatomic particle
Americannoun
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Any of various particles of matter that are smaller than a hydrogen atom. Protons, neutrons, and electrons are subatomic particles, as are all hadrons and leptons.
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See also composite particle elementary particle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every time one tiny subatomic particle smashes into another during experiments at the LHC, the impact generates staggering volumes of data – about one petabyte per second.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2024
At 2.4 x 1020eV, the energy of this single subatomic particle is equivalent to dropping a brick on your toe from waist height.
From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2023
The largest scientific project in Antarctica, ICECUBE, attempts to quantify and trace an unfathomably small subatomic particle — the neutrino.
From Salon • May 29, 2023
Through what’s called beta-minus decay, a neutron will transform into a proton, spitting out an electron and another subatomic particle called a neutrino in the process.
From Scientific American • Jan. 9, 2023
When a subatomic particle travels very fast, it survives longer than expected before it decays, because its clock is slow.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
