nanocyto t1_iy5vy4y wrote
Reply to comment by RLDSXD in Depictions of atomic nuclei often show distinct and individual protons and neutrons, is this accurate? by ZTYTHYZ
This feels like an unnecessary complication. Billiard balls also use virtual particles to repel each other. Strictly speaking, billiard balls also use probability in terms of their position. There's some probability that they'll quantum tunnel across each other and end up passing through each other instead of colliding, it's just so rare that we don't have to account for it when playing a game. So, I think the useful perspective is probably "what experiments would I mess up if I used a marble approximation instead of the full quantum treatment of a nucleus."
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