Atoms
In the early 1800's, John Dalton posited the atomic theory which states that elements consist of tiny particles called atoms. An atom is the smallest part of an element that displays the properties of the element. An element and its atoms share the same name. One or two letters create the atomic symbol, which stands for this name.
The three main sub-atomic particles of an atom include the proton, the neutron and the electron. Protons are positively charged, neutrons are neutral and electrons are negatively charged. Protons and neutrons are located within the nucleus of the atom while electrons orbit around the nucleus. Despite how they are illustrated, atoms are mostly empty space. If an atom was the size of a football field, the nucleus would be a gumball sitting in the middle and the electrons would be tiny specks whirling around in the upper stands. Additionally, we can only estimate where electrons are expected to be most of the time. This is represented by the electron shells typically used in illustrations. These are referred to as the Bohr model.
The three main sub-atomic particles of an atom include the proton, the neutron and the electron. Protons are positively charged, neutrons are neutral and electrons are negatively charged. Protons and neutrons are located within the nucleus of the atom while electrons orbit around the nucleus. Despite how they are illustrated, atoms are mostly empty space. If an atom was the size of a football field, the nucleus would be a gumball sitting in the middle and the electrons would be tiny specks whirling around in the upper stands. Additionally, we can only estimate where electrons are expected to be most of the time. This is represented by the electron shells typically used in illustrations. These are referred to as the Bohr model.