• Question: What makes up an atom?

    Asked by anon-354340 on 8 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Rebecca Walker

      Rebecca Walker answered on 8 Mar 2023:

      An atom contains a central nucleus that is made up of positively-charged particles called protons, and neutral particles called neutrons. This centre is surrounded by a “cloud” of negatively charged particles called electrons.

    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 8 Mar 2023:

      Atoms a made up of three types of particle… Protons (which have a single positive charge) and neutrons (which have no charge) in the centre of the atom which we call the nucleus. Then there are the electrons (which have a single negative charge) and orbit the nucleus. Each atoms has the same number of protons and electrons and is overall neutral. You can imagine the atom like a miniature solar system… with the nucleus in the centre and the electrons in orbits around the nucleus. The number of protons determines the type of atom… hydrogen has 1, uranium 92.

    • Photo: Thomas Swift

      Thomas Swift answered on 8 Mar 2023:

      Neutrons, Electrons and protons.

      But – unless you study radiactive materials (where they suddenly become important) or isotopes (which are really useful for analytical chemistry) 90% of the stuff I care about are the number of, and the positions of, the electrons.

    • Photo: Graeme Dykes

      Graeme Dykes answered on 8 Mar 2023:

      Accepted model is a small nucleus made of neutral neutrons and positively charged protons held together by the strong nuclear force. The number of protons give the atom it’s identity. Surrounding the nucleus is a cloud of negative charged.The cloud consists of negatively charged electrons which can be particles and waves. The electrons are the basis of chemistry

    • Photo: Graeme Barker

      Graeme Barker answered on 9 Mar 2023:

      Atoms have a central nucleus made up of positively charged protons and neutral neutrons, surrounded by negatively charged electrons, which exist in specific areas surrounding the nucleus called orbitals. The protons and neutrons are themselves made up of quarks – two up quarks and a down quark for protons, and two down/one up for neutrons.

      The number of protons defines what element the atom is – hydrogen has one, for example, with helium having 2, lithium 3 and so on, all the way up to organesson with 118 (organesson is the heaviest known element at the moment, and doesn’t occur naturally – it was only made for the first time in 2002).

    • Photo: Jade Markham

      Jade Markham answered on 9 Mar 2023:

      Protons, neutrons and electrons

    • Photo: Maryam Sani

      Maryam Sani answered on 9 Mar 2023:

      The Atom consists of two main parts: The nucleus and shells
      1. A nucleus contains protons which are positively charged particles and neutrons which have no charge.
      2. Shells are outside of the nucleus. Electrons are negatively charged particles orbiting in the shell(s).

Comments