Skip to main content

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

1,225,932 Views

6,807 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.

WatchThink 5 Multiple Choice &
3 Open Answer Questions Dig Deeper Learn More Discuss 1 Guided Discussion &
2 Open Discussions

The Standard Model explains a lot of physics, but it doesn’t explain everything. What experimental observations does it fail to describe?

Login to answer question

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

More from Out Of This World