Sub-Atomic Particles are Points

Created by Grok

Classical physics portrays subatomic particles as being like snooker balls—hard spheres with a charge. In this this model, known as Bohr model, the nucleus of an atom is made up of positively charged protons and chargeless neutrons. Electrons whizz around the nucleus so the whole arrangement is like a mini solar system. Electrons when they move are what constitute an electric current, and an electrical generator simply "pumps" electrons. Electrons are also what are involved in chemical reactions: e.g. when hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water, or sodium and chlorine react to form sodium chloride, common table salt. The inner nucleus doesn't get involved in chemical reactions, only nuclear reactions. In reality however, subatomic particles are point-like entities, in the mathematical sense. So they have no dimensions. In a "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" scenario, you wouldn't see such particles. In any case, light doesn't work at such small dimensions, hence the reason why we use scanning electron microscopes to see very small things such as viruses; optical microscopes just don't work.

Although they don't have a volume, these particles have mass. They also have a "sphere of influence"; a range over which they interact with other particles via electric and nuclear fields. In a sense, because they have a finite mass but no volume, their densities are infinite. However, that issue is conveniently "parked", just like division by zero in mathematics..