Atoms

LI 4: We are learning to describe Atoms

Read this website and answer the following questions about atoms:

What is an atom?

An atom is made up of protons and neutrons that electron spins in orbits around the outside of the nucleus 

What is a proton?

A proton is an positively charged particle that is located in the centre of the atom in nucleus 

What is a neutron?

A neutron is a neutral. It doesn’t have a charge 

What is an electron?

An electron is an negatively charged partical that spins around the outside of the nucleus 

 Each element has a different number of protons. This is how we tell them apart. They also have different number of neutrons and electrons, but these can change. Helium has 2 protons so its atomic number is 2, it also has  1 or 2 neutrons and 2 electrons. This is different to Lithium which has 3 protons and an atomic number of 3. It also has  3 electrons and 3 or 4 neutrons. Each element has its own symbol.

                 

                

 

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