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GameofFame t1_iy4jj16 wrote

Remember as well that protons and neutrons are not indivisible. They are made of quarks that ‘rest’ on the gluon field. Iirc a proton is 2 up and 1 down and a neutron is 2 down and 1 up. They can very easily be converted between each other by simply exchanging an up quark for a down quark or vice versa. So yes the 3 quarks together do form what could be thought of as a marble, but it doesn’t have a surface or membrane layer it is simply a collection of quarks in the gluon field. Think of it like putting floating magnets in the ocean. Except much more complicated.

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Dusty923 t1_iy5o003 wrote

"Except much more complicated" can probably be appended to every attempt ever at describing quantum mechanics in ways that humans can understand.

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[deleted] t1_iy6snsr wrote

Yes and once it’s been explained and they do finally fully understand it, many go on to conclude, that actually it’s much more complicated than even that.

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SupersuMC t1_iy6ywi3 wrote

To pull a comparison from r/Catholicism, it's like the book "How to Explain the Trinity Without Being a Heretic": You can't. Basically whatever explanation or model we have falls short at some point at the quantum level.

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PhysicsFornicator t1_iy4o25b wrote

There was an article I highlighted at our physics journal club from way back in my undergrad days that showed that despite neutrons being net neutral, the charges of the quarks that compose the particle create a volumetric charge distribution at the quantum level. The field of quantum chromodynamics goes into a lot of depth on this stuff.

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PermanentRoundFile t1_iy77njf wrote

So for the lay folks out here, you're saying that neutrons still have polarity despite their overall charge being neutral?

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TerpenesByMS t1_iy78lzf wrote

Neutrons have a magnetic dipole I.E. are a tiny magnet with a north and south, despite being electrically neutral. Electrons and protons also have a magnetic dipole - which is more commonly called spin.

Edit: clarity

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