Proton

Along with the neutron, the proton is one of the building blocks of the atomic nucleus. The mass is 1.672,62×10^-27 kg. It has a positive, equally large charge as the electron. Its name is derived from the Greek word proton (πρῶτον), meaning "first".

History

The existence of the proton was first demonstrated in 1919 by the New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871 – 1937) baron of Nelson.

Related concepts

• activity
• atom
• decay constant
• electromagnetic radiation
• electron
• half-life
• molecule
• neutrino
• neutron
• nuclear decay
• positron
• X-radiation