A theoretical subatomic particle that carries a fraction of the momentum of a proton or neutron.
Coined in 1969 by physicist Richard Feynman, combining 'part' and 'on' (particle suffix). It was created as a term for hypothetical constituents of hadrons before quarks were fully accepted by physicists.
Parton was physicist Richard Feynman's fun-loving way of naming something before the official name existed—he basically said 'let's call these mystery parts of atoms parts-ons until we know what they really are,' and the word stuck!
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