Proton
lastmod 2021-03-09created 2021-03-091 edits
(For the compatibility layer for Microsoft Windows games developed by Valve, see Valve Proton.)
A proton is a constituent particle of the atom with a charge of +1e. Together with neutrons it forms the atomic nucleus, and the two are also called "nucleons". Every atomic nucleus contains one or more protons, and the number of protons determines the properties of the element; since each element has a different number of protons, the number of protons is used as the element's unique atomic number. The English name proton means "first" in Greek, and the name was given to the hydrogen nucleus by Ernest Rutherford in 1920. In 1919 Rutherford discovered that hydrogen nuclei (the lightest nuclei) could be obtained through collisions with nitrogen nuclei, and accordingly he regarded the proton as a candidate for the fundamental particle making up nitrogen and all other heavier nuclei.