Atomic Structure — Passage

What Are Atoms?

Have you ever wondered what makes up everything around you? The chair you sit on, the water you drink, and even you yourself are all made of tiny building blocks called atoms. Atoms are so small that millions of them could fit on the head of a pin!

Inside an Atom

An atom is like a tiny solar system. At the center is the nucleus, which contains two types of particles: protons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge, while neutrons have no charge at all. The nucleus is very dense and makes up most of an atom's mass.

Electrons: The Outer Particles

Around the nucleus, electrons orbit in paths called energy levels or shells. Electrons are much smaller than protons and neutrons, and they have a negative charge. They move so fast that they create a cloud around the nucleus rather than following exact paths.

Elements and Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom tells us what element it is. For example, hydrogen has one proton, oxygen has eight protons, and gold has 79 protons. In a normal atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons, making the atom balanced or neutral.

How Atoms Form Molecules

Atoms can gain, lose, or share electrons with other atoms. When they do this, they form bonds and create molecules. Water, for instance, is a molecule made when two hydrogen atoms bond with one oxygen atom.

Studying Atoms

Atoms are the basic units of all matter, yet we cannot see them with our eyes. Scientists use special tools like electron microscopes to study them. The more we learn about atoms, the better we understand our world and how everything in it works together.

Fun fact: If you could enlarge an atom to the size of a football stadium, the nucleus would be only about the size of a pea at the center! This means atoms are mostly empty space.