Element Zero
How It's Used
"Neutron stars are described as the leftover remnants of stars that have burned up their nuclear fuel and collapsed violently into themselves. These events are supernova explosions, many of which have been detected from Earth.
"Often, the remnant left at the supernova's center is a spinning neutron star, a ball of material that is so densely packed that a teaspoonful of 'neutronium' would weigh as much as an aircraft carrier on Earth." —Robert Cooke, "Burst Leaves Earth Starstruck: A 5-minute pulse of stellar radiation recorded Aug. 27," Newsday, September 30, 1998, p. A21. "[The new design for the periodic table] also remedies the traditional table's shortfalls. The traditional table arranges the elements in rows and columns. From left to right, the atomic number -- the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom -- increases. Chemically similar elements are grouped in columns.
"The new design has the elements spiral out from the center of neutronium in increasing atomic number. The elements form spokes that correspond to the original table's columns." —Michelle Lefort, "Periodic table's design gets an elemental challenge ; Same information but new look -- and some debate," USAToday, July 26, 2005, p. D7.
Also Known As (AKA)
Neutronium Links Beyond eAlmanac
Wikipedia article on Neutronium, or Element Zero.
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