In the centre of the atom is the nucleus,
made up of equal numbers of protons and neutrons.
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Atoms
matter is made from small particles called atoms – they are the building blocks of the Universe.- atoms are so extremely small that one million could fit on the full stop at the end of this sentence.
- atoms are the smallest identifiable piece of a chemical element. (diagram: Size of atoms)
- many different atom as there are elements – The Periodic Table of the Elements.
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- atoms are mostly empty space with tiny sub-atomic particles (sub-atomic means “smaller than an atom”).
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- the core of an atom is the nucleus – made two kinds of sub-atomic particle; protons and neutrons.
- swooshing around the nucleus are even tinier particles called electrons.
- electrons have a negative electrical charge; protons have a positive charge – electrons are held to the nucleus by electrical attraction.
- under certain conditions – one atom can be split into more than 200 kinds of short-lived sub-atomic particle of nucleus are made from various tiny particles called quarks.
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Did you know?
- Quarks – came into existence when the Universe has existed for less than one second.
Diagram: Quacks
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