If an atom were scaled to the size of the Houston Astrodome, what would the size of its nucleus approximately be?

When considering the size of an atom relative to its nucleus, it's important to grasp that atoms are primarily empty space, composed of a very tiny nucleus at the center surrounded by a cloud of electrons. If an atom were scaled up to the size of a large stadium like the Houston Astrodome, the nucleus would indeed be extremely small in comparison.

The correct answer indicates that if the atom is the size of the Astrodome, the nucleus would be approximately the size of a pea. This provides a clear illustration of the vast difference in scale between the nucleus and the entire atom. The nucleus contains protons and neutrons, which carry most of the mass of the atom, while the electrons are much smaller and occupy a larger volume due to their distance from the nucleus.

A pea size for the nucleus effectively embodies the concept of atomic structure and highlights the relative proportions of atomic components, reinforcing the understanding that the nucleus, though dense and massive, occupies a minuscule fraction of the atom's total volume when visualized at such a large scale.