The shortest thing in the world, according to our current understanding, is the quark.
Understanding the Smallest Things
While we might discover something even smaller in the future, as of November 6, 2021, quarks are the smallest fundamental particles we know of.
- Quarks are fundamental: They are not made up of smaller components.
- Building blocks: Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei.
The Scale of Quarks
It's difficult to conceptualize how small quarks truly are. They are far smaller than atoms, which themselves are mostly empty space.
Summary Table: Smallest Known Particles
| Particle | Description |
|---|---|
| Quark | Fundamental particle; a building block of matter. |
