Grade 9 - Atoms Flashcards
What are the 3 basic particles of an atom?
- Proton - Positive
- Electron - Negative
- Neutron - Neutral
What are Protons?
Protons the positively charged particle in an atom and are located in the nucleus. The number of protons defines what element an atom is, e.g if an atom has 8 protons, it is Oxygen.
What are Electrons?
Electrons are the negatively charged particles in an atom. Unlike Protons and Neutrons, they are not located in the nucleus. They are in the shells orbiting the nucleus instead. The number of electrons in an atom is usually the same as the number of protons, unless its an ion, in which case the number of electrons is different than the number of protons
What are neutrons?
Neutrons are the neutral particle in atoms. They are located in the nucleus. The number of neutrons differs from the number of protons and electrons in an atom, and to find the number you need to use Math(ew). Atoms of elements with different numbers of neutrons are called Isotopes.
What are atoms?
Atoms are the building blocks of matter. Each element has an atom specific to it, and these atoms have at elements properties. The number of protons defines what element the atom is
What is the nucleus, and what is located in the nucleus?
The nucleus is a small, dense region at the center of an atom. In comparison to the rest of the atom, it is tiny, but it holds almost all of the mass of the atom. It also contains all of the protons and neutrons
What are isotopes?
Isotopes are atoms of the same element, with a different number of neutrons. Isotopes are usually just named after the element and also a number (e.g Carbon-12 or Carbon-14). Most isotopes of an element usually have the same properties, as they have the same number of protons & electrons. However, if there are too many or too little neutrons in relation to the protons, the isotope becomes unstable and radioactive :D
What is an example of an isotope?
The element Hydrogen has 3 Isotopes, Hydrogen (yes the isotope and element have the same name), with no neutrons, Deuterium, with 1 Neutron & Tritium, with 2. The first is just the regular stuff that makes up water, the second is basically just the first but like slightly heavier, and the third is RADIOACTIVE HELL YEA.
Tritium is also unstable just like me lol
