• Question: are protons unstable?

    Asked by 12swanb to Lyn, Katy, Paul, PB, Ruth on 21 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Peter Balfe

      Peter Balfe answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      I have no idea, I think not. I know if you happen to have a spare hadron collider in your shed you can break them apart, but I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t exist if they weren’t stable.

    • Photo: Ee Lyn Lim

      Ee Lyn Lim answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      Apparently they are quite stable! Do you know where you can find protons – not in an atom together with neutrons and electrons, but just a proton by itself? In water! Water is H2O, and some of it dissociates into a H+ ion and a OH- ion. The H+ ion is really just a proton – a hydrogen atom that’s lost its electron. So while it is positively charged, and would much rather be together with something else that’s negatively charged, it’s quite alright sitting on its own for a bit.

    • Photo: Paul Waines

      Paul Waines answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Protons by themselves are not really stable, and prefer to be in the company of negatively charged particles (electrons) and neutrons, which have no charge on them. This makes everything a bit more stable. The bigger they are as well, the less stable they are.

    • Photo: Katy Brown

      Katy Brown answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      A proton walks into a bar and orders a drink. When he asks how much, the bartender says “for you, no charge.”

      Or in other words, I have nothing to add 🙂

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