What is an ATOM?
An atom is THE most basic form of matter present anywhere that you
look(through an electron microscope). They are surrounded by these
minuscule particle’s known as electrons. Like the cells of any living
thing an Atom also has a nucleus, which is made up of protons and
neutrons. The electrons that surround it are always negatively charged
and the protons that are inside of the nucleus are positively charged.
However the neutrons that are also present within the nucleus of an
atom are ‘neutral’ hence the term neutron, which means that they
have no charge.
Why Call it an ‘atom’??
An ‘atom’ is called an ‘atom’ because it comes from the Greek term
“atomos” which also means that this specific thing unlike anything
else cannot be divided or broken down to anything less than what it
already is. Or is ‘undividable’ . The whole idea of the atom being this
invisible undivideable form of matter was first thought of by the Greek
philosophers.
Examples of different atoms
Each and every chemical substance contains atoms everything from
your eyeballs to the Television in your front room contains atoms.
An example of a hydrogen atom: a hydrogen atom contains no
neutrons and only has one proton and one electron
Potassium atom: A potassium atom contains 20 neutrons and 19
protons. It also has more ‘shells’ of electrons than the hydrogen atom
a potassium atom has 19 electrons surrounding it.
Why do they have shells??
All atoms have shells of electrons which ‘orbit’ the nucleus of the
atom. The amount of electrons that an atom has corresponds to the
number of protons that are present inside the nucleus.