Physicists Claim Breakthrough in Proton Size Puzzle

In recent studies, scientists worked on measuring the proton’s size. They did this in a vacuum chamber using hydrogen atoms. Their goal was to find the proton’s charge radius, which is very small.

In 2010, a different team found the proton’s radius to be 0.84 femtometers. A femtometer is one million-billionths of a meter. Other experiments tried to confirm this result but had different findings. Some studies agreed with the 2010 finding, while others showed a larger size.

In 2019, scientists from York University also measured the proton radius. They found it to be 0.833 femtometers. This again matched the smaller size from 2010.

Now, two new papers showed similar results using lasers and hydrogen atoms. They measured energy changes to find the proton’s size. Based on their findings, the proton’s radius is about 0.84 femtometers. This agrees with the earlier 2010 study.

A physicist said the proton’s size should be the same no matter how you measure it. These new studies support the original findings from 2010.

How much do you know?

What was the proton's radius measured by a team in 2010?

0.84 femtometers

0.833 femtometers

0.5 femtometers

1.0 femtometers

What measurement technique was used by scientists to measure the proton's size?

In a vacuum chamber

In a water tank

In an oil chamber

In a solid state

Which university's scientists measured the proton radius in 2019?

Harvard University

Yale University

York University

Stanford University

What is a femtometer a measure of?

Length

Weight

Volume

Time

What findings did the new studies using lasers and hydrogen atoms agree with?

Findings from 2005

Findings from 2010

Findings from 2015

Findings from 1990

According to a physicist, the proton's size should be ______.

different based on measurement

the same no matter how measured

larger when measured with lasers

smaller in a vacuum

According to a physicist, the proton's size should be .

The proton's radius was first measured in 2010.

True False

All studies confirmed the proton's size to be 0.84 femtometers.

True False

The 2019 measurement by York University was larger than the 2010 measurement.

True False

Scientists used hydrogen atoms to measure the proton's size.

True False

Femtometer is a unit of time.

True False

The new papers showed results that contradicted earlier findings.

True False

The proton's charge radius was found to be about femtometers.

In 2010, a team found the proton's radius to be femtometers.

The 2019 measurement by scientists from York University was femtometers.

The proton's radius is about femtometers according to new studies.

Femtometer is one million-billionths of a .

According to a physicist, the proton's size should be the same no matter how you it.

This question is required