Atoms

Alpha decay equation

4/2 He

Electron

A subatomic particle that has a negative charge

Proton

A subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom

Neutron

A subatomic particle that has no charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom

Alpha decay

An alpha particle consists of two protons and two neutrons, which is actually a helium nucleus. Losing the protons and neutrons makes the nucleus more stable.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have different masses and different stabilities due to a differing number of neutrons.

Atom

Basic unit of matter

Beta decay

Beta decay occurs when a nucleus with too many protons or too many neutrons, one of the protons or neutrons is transformed into the other.

Beta decay equation

0/-1 e

True or False: The nucleus is the largest part of the atom and takes up the most space.

False

What is the mass number?

It equals the number of neutrons plus the number of protons in an atom.

What is the atomic mass?

It is the weighted average mass of the atoms in a naturally occurring sample of an element.

Atomic Mass

Number of protons and neutrons

How do you get the atomic mass of an atom?

Number of protons and neutrons in the atom

How do you get the atomic number of an atom?

Number of protons in the atom

What is the atomic number?

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of an element.

Electrons are in an area known as the electron cloud.

True

True or False: An atom is mainly empty space.

True

True or False: The electrons are the lightest in weight of the three subatomic particles.

True

Electron Cloud

a region around the nucleus of an atom where electrons are likely to be found

Strong Force

binds protons and neutrons together in the nuclei of atoms

Atomic Number

number of protons in an atom

Electromagnetic force

the attractive or repulsive force between protons and electrons

Nucleus

the center of an atom, which contains the protons and neutrons