| Atoms, the smallest particles of matter that retain the properties of the matter, are made of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
原子是保有物質屬性的最小粒子，由質子、電子與中子所組成。 |
| Protons have a positive charge, Electrons have a negative charge that cancels the proton's positive charge. |
質子具有正電荷，電子則具有與質子正電荷相互抵銷的負電荷。 |
| Neutrons are particles that are similar to a proton but have a neutral charge. |
中子是與質子相似然而電荷中性的粒子。 |
| 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. |
正電荷與負電荷之間沒有什麼不同，只不過電荷相同的粒子相斥，電荷相反的粒子相吸。 |
| If a solitary positive proton and negative electron are placed near each other they will come together to form a hydrogen atom. |
如果孤立的正電荷質子與負電荷電子彼此靠近，就會一起形成氫原子。 |
| 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. |
此相斥與相吸 (靜止帶電粒子間的作用力) 稱作靜電力，理論上作用力無限遠，然而隨著粒子之間的距離擴大而淡去。 |
| 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. |
當一原子失去一個或多個電子，就會帶正電，而如果一原子擁有至少一個多餘電子，就會帶負電。 |
| Having a positive or a negative charge makes an atom an ion. |
如果一原子帶有正電或負電，就會成為離子。 |
| Atoms only gain and lose protons and neutrons through fusion, fission, and radioactive decay. |
原子只能透過核融合、核分裂與放射性衰變而失去質子與中子。 |
| 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. |
雖然原子由許多粒子組成，而物體由許多原子組成，他們相斥與相吸的作用與帶電粒子相似。 |
| In an atom the protons and neutrons combine to form a tightly bound nucleus. |
在原子裡，質子與中子結合形成緊密結合的原子核。 |
| 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). |
這個原子核由廣大的電子雲所包覆，此電子雲以某種距離環繞它，但藉著電磁力的吸引而始終待在質子附近 (即上述的靜電力)。 |
| 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. |
電子雲由幾個重疊的殼/帶所組成，其中內價帶裡填滿電子，與原子緊緊抓住。 |
| The outer conduction bands contain no electrons except those that have accelerated to the conduction bands by gaining energy. |
外面的導電帶則除了吸收能量加速至導電帶的電子以外，不含其餘電子。 |
| With enough energy an electron will escape an atom (compare with the escape velocity of a space rocket). |
如果一個電子能量足夠，就會從原子游離出來 (請與太空火箭的逃逸速度比較)。 |
| When an electron in the conduction band decelerates and falls to another conduction band or the valence band a photon is emitted. |
當導電帶的電子減速掉落到另一個導電帶或價帶裡，就會釋放一光子。 |
| This is known as the photoelectric effect. |
這稱作光電效應。 |
