When most of us picture an atom, we think about a small nucleus made of protons and neutrons orbited by one or more electrons. We view these electrons as point-like while rapidly orbiting the nucleus.

Protons are tiny particles just a femtometer across, but without them, atoms wouldn't exist. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

As previously mentioned, calcium has an atomic number of 20. This means that every calcium atom has 20 protons in its nucleus. In a neutral calcium atom, the number of electrons must also be 20 to ...

All the elements in the Periodic Table are made from different atoms, and the structure of these atoms results in a gamut of phenomena from radioactive decay to nuclear power. When you purchase ...

QUESTION: Is an atom really hard to break? ANSWER: Not really — we can slice them, dice them, or smash them. Let me explain a little about an atom first, and you will know what I mean. The center of ...

Note: This video is designed to help the teacher better understand the lesson and is NOT intended to be shown to students. It includes observations and conclusions that students are meant to make on ...

Use a concept map to review atom-related terms. Concept maps are a way to visually show how the parts of a system relate to one another. In a concept map, nouns are used to describe the components of ...

A: Isotope stability depends on the balance between the strong nuclear force and the electrostatic repulsion between protons. Isotopes with optimal neutron-to-proton ratios and "magic numbers" of ...

The Sun is the source of the overwhelming majority of light, heat, and energy on Earth's surface, and is powered by nuclear fusion. But without the quantum rules that govern the Universe at a ...

Bits of the stars are all around us, and in us, too. About half of the abundance of elements heavier than iron originates in some of the most violent explosions in the cosmos. As the universe churns ...