A Science Odyssey: Atom Builder: Building an Atom (2024)


When building an atom, pay close attention to the particles' electrical charges.

Protons have a charge of +1. Electrons have a charge of -1. Neutrons are neutral, as its name implies.

A stable atom has a net charge of 0. In other words, it has an equal number of protons and electrons. The positive protons cancel out the negative electrons.

When the number of electrons does not equal the number of protons, the atom is ionized. (The atom is then called an ion).

Do not allow your atom to become too ionized. Ions are attracted to other atoms and molecules. If your atom is too ionized, it will likely zip away from you and attach itself to a nearby atom or molecule.

An atom becomes radioactive when its nucleus contains too many or too few neutrons. Try to keep the same number of neutrons and protons as you build your atom. If the imbalance is too great, radioactive decay will occur.

More about the radioactive decay of carbon

Up to two electrons may exist in the atom's first shell. Up to eight electrons may exist in the atom's second shell.

An electron may "drop" from an outer shell if an inner shell is not full. This results in the release of energy in the form of a photon.


The Atom Builder Guide to Elementary Particles

Glossary


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A Science Odyssey: Atom Builder: Building an Atom (2024)

FAQs

What parts make up an atom worksheet answers? ›

Parts of the Atom
PART OF THE ATOMELECTRIC CHARGELOCATION IN ATOM
protonPositiveNucleus
neutronNeutralNucleus
electronNegativeOrbitals / Energy Levels

Can you crush atom? ›

Can you crush atoms? Not normally, but there are certain types of stars, called neutron stars, that are made from 'crushed' atoms. The gravitational field is high enough in a neutron star that the electrons around an atom are forced to combine with the protons in the nucleus, creating neutrons.

What is an atom chegg? ›

An atom is a particle of matter that uniquely defines a chemical element.

What builds up a atom? ›

We now know that atoms are made up of three particles known as subatomic particles: protons, neutrons and electrons — which are composed of even smaller particles, such as quarks. Atoms were created after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

What makes up an atom answer key? ›

Atoms are made of extremely tiny particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons are in the center of the atom, making up the nucleus. Electrons surround the nucleus.

What is an atom made up of answer? ›

Atom is made up of electrons, protons and neutrons. Electrons revolve around the protons and neutrons. Protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged while neutrons have no charge. Protons are not free to move, hence only electrons can move if we provide them enough energy.

Can 2 atoms touch each other? ›

If "touching" is taken to mean that two atoms reside in the exact same location, then two atoms never touch at room temperature because of the Pauli exclusion principle. The Pauli exclusion principle is what keeps all the atoms in our body from collapsing into one point.

Can you rip an atom? ›

Splitting an atom is called nuclear fission, and the repeated splitting of atoms in fission is called a chain reaction. Nuclear fission is carried out in power plants in order to create energy. Scientists split atoms in order to study atoms and the smaller parts they break into.

Has anyone ever cut an atom? ›

That equation is indeed the underlying principle behind thermonuclear weapons and nuclear energy. It was a British and Irish physicist, John co*ckcroft and Ernest Walton, respectively, who first split the atom to confirm Einstein's theory. co*ckcroft was born in 1897 and served on the Western front during World War I.

How is a Lego an atom? ›

One Lego brick An atom The Lego brick is one small piece, and an atom is one small piece of something. More than one Lego brick A molecule Molecules have more than one atom stuck together.

What does atom mean in 7th grade science? ›

An atom is the basic unit of an element. It consists of protons, neutrons and electrons. Atoms can combine to form molecules as simple as water or as complex as DNA.

Who big is an atom? ›

The atoms are very small that they can not be seen through naked eyes. An electron microscope is needed to watch an atom. The diameter of an atom is in the range of 0.1nm to 0.5nm.

What's inside an atom? ›

An atom consists of a nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished from each other by the number of protons that are in their atoms.

Can we see an atom? ›

No, you can't see an atom the way we're used to “seeing” things – that is, using our eyes' ability to perceive light. An atom is simply too small to deflect visible light waves, which means it won't show up under even the most powerful light-focusing microscopes, Oncel said.

Are atoms energy or matter? ›

Atoms are the smallest units of matter that have all the characteristics of an element. Atoms combine to form molecules. Atoms are composed of smaller particles known as protons, neutrons, and electrons.

What are the parts of the atom answer? ›

An atom is made up of protons and neutrons which are in the nucleus, and electrons which are in the electron cloud surrounding the atom. The atomic number equals the number of protons. The electrons in a neutral atom equal the number of protons. The mass number equals the sum of the protons and neutrons.

What parts make up an atom? ›

Atoms consist of three basic particles: protons, electrons, and neutrons. The nucleus (center) of the atom contains the protons (positively charged) and the neutrons (no charge). The outermost regions of the atom are called electron shells and contain the electrons (negatively charged).

What are the parts of an atom lesson 10 answer key? ›

There are three main parts of an atom: protons [PROE tonz], neutrons [NEW tronz], and electrons (ih LECK tronz].

What are the three parts of an atom _____? ›

The three basic parts of an atom are electrons, protons, and neutrons. Protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged and neutrons are neutral.

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