Activity 3 1-10-11

What is an Atom?

A basic unit of matter with a dense nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. Atoms together make up molecules.

What are the particles that make up an atom, list their mass and charge?

Proton. mass=1. charge= +1    Neutron. No charge. Mass=1   Electron. Charge= -1 Mass=very small

What is the size of an atom?

The nucleus has a diameter of about 10^-15 meter. The atomic Diameter is about 10^-11meter. This means that the nucleus is much smaller than the atomic cloud, 10,000 times smaller. If a golf ball was the nucleus than the first shell would be about 1 kilometer away and the second shell 4 kilometers away.


http://trshare.triumf.ca/~safety/EHS/rpt/rpt_1/node7.html

What is the shape of an atom, where are the particles?

It has a nucleus in the center. This is surrounded by electron clouds. It is also spherical. I would compare it to planets in orbit. The Sun is the nucleus and the planets are the electrons orbiting it. They are not in different levels though.

What are the characteristics of electrons?

 Very small mass. Particles. Negatively charged. Wave. Behaves similarly to light.