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What’s the smallest thing in the universe? - Jonathan Butterworth

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  • 6,260 Questions Answered
  • TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

If you were to take a coffee cup, and break it in half, then in half again, and keep carrying on, where would you end up? Could you keep on going forever? Or would you eventually find a set of indivisible building blocks out of which everything is made? Jonathan Butterworth explains the Standard Model theory and how it helps us understand the world we live in.


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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Jonathan Butterworth
  • Director Nick Hilditch
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Animator Nick Hilditch
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-Checker Brian Gutierrez
Additional Resources for you to Explore
For more information, check out these resources:
-The ATLAS Experiment
-CERN education programs
-Atom Land: A Guided Tour Through the Strange (and Impossibly Small) World of Particle Physics
-Life and Physics blog
-Fermilab

For more info on the educator, Jonathan Butterworth, check out his website here. 

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Jonathan Butterworth
  • Director Nick Hilditch
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Animator Nick Hilditch
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-Checker Brian Gutierrez

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