| Atoms, the smallest particles of matter that retain the properties of the matter, are made of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
Atoms, the smallest particles of matter that retain the properties of that matter, are composed of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
| Protons have a positive charge, Electrons have a negative charge that cancels the proton's positive charge. |
Protons carry a positive charge, while electrons possess a negative charge that counteracts the proton's positive charge. |
| Neutrons are particles that are similar to a proton but have a neutral charge. |
Neutrons are particles similar to protons but 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 is no inherent difference between positive and negative charges, except that particles with the same charge repel each other, and particles with opposite charges attract. 1
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| If a solitary positive proton and negative electron are placed near each other they will come together to form a hydrogen atom. |
If a solitary positive proton and a solitary negative electron are placed near each other, they will combine 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 (the force between stationary charged particles) is known as the electrostatic force and theoretically extends infinitely, but it weakens as the distance between the 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 ends up with a positive charge, and when an atom has at least one extra electron, it carries a negative charge |
| Having a positive or a negative charge makes an atom an ion. |
Having a positive or negative charge transforms an atom into an ion. |
| Atoms only gain and lose protons and neutrons through fusion, fission, and radioactive decay. |
Atoms only gain or lose protons and neutrons through nuclear 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 up of numerous particles, and objects are made up of numerous atoms, they behave similarly to charged particles in terms of repulsion and attraction. |
| In an atom the protons and neutrons combine to form a tightly bound nucleus. |
Within an atom, 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 orbit at a distance but are held close to the protons by electromagnetic attraction (the electrostatic force mentioned earlier). |
| 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 electron cloud exists as a series of overlapping layers or bands, where 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 typically contain no electrons, except for those that have been accelerated into these bands by gaining energy. |
| With enough energy an electron will escape an atom (compare with the escape velocity of a space rocket). |
With sufficient energy, an electron can escape an atom (analogous to the escape velocity of a spacecraft). |
| 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 phenomenon is known as the photoelectric effect. |
