Do subatomic particles take up space in a three dimensional area? There seems to be a lot of dispute over whether they take up "meaningful space" and what that actually means; however can we say a subatomic particle has say a length or volume of 10^-X with a meaning similar to the everyday definition of volume/length?
Answers (1)
I'm only an enthusiast on the matter, but subatomic particles (particularly electrons and lower) do not conform with the standard model of definition for what you would call 'matter'. These things exhibit wavelike properties, can phase through matter (quantum tunnelling), can be anywhere with varying probability but become fixed when observed (observer effect), accuracy of position observation is inversely relative to momentum (heisenberg's uncertainty principle), matter springing into existence by trying to break the strong interaction.
There's a number of theories for models to fit this scale - string theory, for example, asserted that reality is made up of 'strings' vibrating in 11 dimensions whose variation somehow creates all types of material (I'm rather amused by the notion of tolkein retroactively becoming a scifi author). Quantum soup is a state where temperature / density is so high that it allegedly causes particles to melt to constituent quarks - one of the goals for science in high speed collisions.
As for what's actually going on, observation is a problem on such a scale (requiring increasingly more energy and humans lack the biological means of sight), but apparently it's been done, sorta, by graphing the wave's energy trail or summat.
https :// qph . fs . quoracdn . net / main-qimg-7f2e42e1b6a0ac64db1b8d69857ac8c2