Trying to understand the scale of the atom, specifically how much empty space there is in an atom between the nucleus and the electrons, Phrenopolis put together a Hydrogen Atom Scale Model. The electron is 1 pixel. the proton is 1,000 pixels across. There are 50,000,000 pixels between them. On a typical monitor, that's 11 miles. Yes this web page is 11 miles wide, (and it loads quickly). "I recommend trying to scroll from here to the right a screen at a time, just to see how long it takes the little thumb in the scrollbar to move visibly."
They have other perspective projects where they set up physical scale models of the solar system. My personal favorite of these is the unrelated and permanent Community Solar System setup by the Boston Museum of Science
4 comments:
better yet, scroll through the page source.
Why is it that I can scroll across in two screen lengths?
I can drag the slider quickly, but if I click next to the scroll bar to move it a screens worth it moves (the proton moves off the page) but it goes very slowly.
If I click next to the scroll bar, I can get from the proton to the electron in two clicks. I'm not sure why this is.
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