| Atoms, the smallest particles of matter that retain the properties of the matter, are made of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
Atoms, which are the smallest particles of matter that retain the properties of matter, are made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
| Protons have a positive charge, Electrons have a negative charge that cancels the proton's positive charge. |
Protons have a positive charge, while electrons have a negative charge, which cancels the positive charge of the proton. |
| Neutrons are particles that are similar to a proton but have a neutral charge. |
Neutrons are particles similar to a proton... but they have a neutral charge. |
| There are no differences between positive and negative charges except that particles with the same charge repel each other and particles with opposite charges attract each other. |
There are no differences between positive and negative charges, except that particles with the same charge repel each other and particles with opposite charges attract each other. |
| If a solitary positive proton and negative electron are placed near each other they will come together to form a hydrogen atom. |
If a positive proton and a negative electron are placed near each other, they will join together to form a hydrogen atom. |
| This repulsion and attraction (force between stationary charged particles) is known as the Electrostatic Force and extends theoretically to infinity, but is diluted as the distance between particles increases. |
This repulsion and attraction (force between stationary charged particles) is known as electrostatic force.
It theoretically extends to infinity, but diminishes as the distance between particles increases. |
| When an atom has one or more missing electrons it is left with a positive charge, and when an atom has at least one extra electron it has a negative charge. |
When an atom is missing one or more electrons, it has a positive charge.
When an atom has at least one extra electron, it has a negative charge. |
| Having a positive or a negative charge makes an atom an ion. |
Having a positive or negative charge makes an atom an ion. |
| Atoms only gain and lose protons and neutrons through fusion, fission, and radioactive decay. |
Atoms only gain and lose protons and neutrons through fusion, fission, and radioactive decay. |
| Although atoms are made of many particles and objects are made of many atoms, they behave similarly to charged particles in terms of how they repel and attract. |
Although atoms are made of many particles and objects are made of many atoms, they behave similarly to charged particles in terms of how they repel and attract. |
| In an atom the protons and neutrons combine to form a tightly bound nucleus. |
In an atom the protons and neutrons combine to form a tightly bound nucleus. |
| This nucleus is surrounded by a vast cloud of electrons circling it at a distance but held near the protons by electromagnetic attraction (the electrostatic force discussed earlier). |
This nucleus is surrounded by a vast cloud of electrons that surround it at a distance, but are kept close to the protons by electromagnetic attraction (the electrostatic force discussed above). |
| The cloud exists as a series of overlapping shells / bands in which the inner valence bands are filled with electrons and are tightly bound to the atom. |
The cloud exists as a series of overlapping shells / bands in which the inner valence bands are filled with electrons and are tightly bound to the atom. |
| The outer conduction bands contain no electrons except those that have accelerated to the conduction bands by gaining energy. |
The outer conduction bands contain no electrons, except those that have been accelerated into the conduction bands, gaining energy. |
| With enough energy an electron will escape an atom (compare with the escape velocity of a space rocket). |
With enough energy, an electron will escape from an atom (compare to the escape velocity of a space rocket). |
| When an electron in the conduction band decelerates and falls to another conduction band or the valence band a photon is emitted. |
When an electron in the conduction band decelerates and falls into another conduction band or the valence band, a photon is emitted. |
| This is known as the photoelectric effect. |
This is known as the photoelectric effect. |
