Lesson 10: Composition of Atoms and Their Charge

Since we have been covering a lot of physics and math, why don't we try a few lessons in Chemistry. Before we can delve very far into the study, a basic knowledge of atoms and their components is required. So today, we will learn about how atoms are constructed, what each component of an atom is, and the charge of each of these components.

Atoms are comprised of 3 components. They are protons, neutrons, and electrons. So, to get a better understanding of what these are and what their function is, let's go through a description of each one.

1. Protons - These are located in the small nucleus of the atom along with the neutrons. They have a charge of +1. In order to remember this charge, it is often helpful to associate proton with the word positive. Protons, along with neutrons are relatively heavy particles.
2. Neutrons - These particles are also located in the nucleus of the atom along with the protons. These particles have no charge but a significant mass.
3. Electrons - These are particles with very little mass and are located in orbit around the nucleus. They move so fast that they can be thought of as forming a cloud around the nucleus. This is often referred to as the electron cloud. Electrons have a charge of -1.

It is important to remember that in a neutrally charged atom, there are as many electrons as there are protons. Think of this as adding all the individual charges up which will sum up to 0. However, the amount of neutrons can be different, even within the same type of element. Isotopes are atoms with a consistent amount of protons and electrons, but with different amounts of neutrons.

With this understanding of how atoms are constructed, we are prepared to learn about how they interact and bond to each other.

For more information, check out the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_structure