It is the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, known as its atomic number, that determines which element it represents. If you have one proton, that is hydrogen. If you have 12 protons ...
For example, the atomic number of chlorine is 17. Every chlorine atom has 17 protons and 17 electrons. It has 17 positive charges and 17 negative charges, meaning that it is neutral overall.
To get to grips with it, it helps to first understand that atoms, the basic units of all matter, are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. It is the number of protons, otherwise known as the ...
Protons have a charge of +1. Electrons have a charge of -1. Neutrons are neutral, as its name implies. A stable atom has a net charge of 0. In other words, it has an equal number of protons and ...
The nucleus of each atom contains protons and neutrons. While the number of protons defines the element (e.g., hydrogen, carbon, etc.) and the sum of the protons and neutrons gives the atomic mass, ...
Atoms are very small. They have a radius of around 1 × 10 10 metres. This symbol shows that chlorine has 35 particles in the nucleus (protons and neutrons), 17 of which are protons. It also tells ...
As they studied atomic disintegration, they kept seeing that the atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus, equivalent to the positive charge of the atom) was less than the atomic mass ...