| Atoms, the smallest particles of matter that retain the properties of the matter, are made of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
Atoms are the smallest units of matter that keep the properties of the substance and are made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. |
| Protons have a positive charge, Electrons have a negative charge that cancels the proton's positive charge. |
Protons carry a positive charge, while electrons carry a negative charge that balances the proton’s positive charge. |
| Neutrons are particles that are similar to a proton but have a neutral charge. |
Neutrons are particles similar to protons but without any electrical charge. |
| There are no differences between positive and negative charges except that particles with the same charge repel each other and particles with opposite charges attract each other. |
The main difference between positive and negative charges is that similar charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract each other. |
| If a solitary positive proton and negative electron are placed near each other they will come together to form a hydrogen atom. |
When a single positive proton and a negative electron come close together, they combine to form a hydrogen atom. |
| This repulsion and attraction (force between stationary charged particles) is known as the Electrostatic Force and extends theoretically to infinity, but is diluted as the distance between particles increases. |
This attraction and repulsion between stationary charged particles is called electrostatic force. It can theoretically extend infinitely, but its strength decreases as the distance increases. |
| When an atom has one or more missing electrons it is left with a positive charge, and when an atom has at least one extra electron it has a negative charge. |
If an atom loses one or more electrons, it becomes positively charged. If it gains extra electrons, it becomes negatively charged. |
| Having a positive or a negative charge makes an atom an ion. |
An atom with either a positive or negative charge is called an ion. |
| Atoms only gain and lose protons and neutrons through fusion, fission, and radioactive decay. |
Atoms gain or lose protons and neutrons only during fusion, fission, or radioactive decay. |
| Although atoms are made of many particles and objects are made of many atoms, they behave similarly to charged particles in terms of how they repel and attract. |
Even though atoms are made of many particles and objects are made of many atoms, they still behave like charged particles in attraction and repulsion. |
| In an atom the protons and neutrons combine to form a tightly bound nucleus. |
In an atom, protons and neutrons join together to form a tightly packed nucleus. |
| This nucleus is surrounded by a vast cloud of electrons circling it at a distance but held near the protons by electromagnetic attraction (the electrostatic force discussed earlier). |
The nucleus is surrounded by a large cloud of electrons that move around it while being held close by electromagnetic attraction. |
| The cloud exists as a series of overlapping shells / bands in which the inner valence bands are filled with electrons and are tightly bound to the atom. |
This electron cloud exists in overlapping shells or bands where the inner valence bands are filled with electrons strongly attached to the atom. |
| The outer conduction bands contain no electrons except those that have accelerated to the conduction bands by gaining energy. |
The outer conduction bands usually contain no electrons except those that gain enough energy to move into them. |
| With enough energy an electron will escape an atom (compare with the escape velocity of a space rocket). |
With sufficient energy, an electron can escape from an atom, similar to how a rocket escapes Earth’s gravity. |
| When an electron in the conduction band decelerates and falls to another conduction band or the valence band a photon is emitted. |
When an electron slows down and falls to a lower conduction band or the valence band, it releases a photon. |
| This is known as the photoelectric effect. |
This process is called the photoelectric effect. |
