Each individual atom consists of smaller particles-namely, electrons and nuclei. Molecules, in turn, are composed of atoms joined by chemical bonds that are more difficult to break. Most matter consists of an agglomeration of molecules, which can be separated relatively easily. For additional information pertaining to nuclear structure and elementary particles, see subatomic particles.ĭo you get fired up about physics? Giddy about geology? Sort out science fact from fiction with these questions. Following this overview is a historical survey of the most influential concepts about the atom that have been formulated through the centuries. This article opens with a broad overview of the fundamental properties of the atom and its constituent particles and forces. The behaviour of an atom is strongly influenced by these orbital properties, and its chemical properties are determined by orbital groupings known as shells. Such wave patterns, called orbitals, describe the distribution of individual electrons. In others, the electrons behave like waves frozen in position around the nucleus. In some respects, the electrons in an atom behave like particles orbiting the nucleus. Electrons are attracted to any positive charge by their electric force in an atom, electric forces bind the electrons to the nucleus.īecause of the nature of quantum mechanics, no single image has been entirely satisfactory at visualizing the atom’s various characteristics, which thus forces physicists to use complementary pictures of the atom to explain different properties. The nucleus is small and dense compared with the electrons, which are the lightest charged particles in nature. The rest consists of a positively charged nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. Investigate varying electron configurations in electron shells around an atom's nucleus See all videos for this article
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