2020 – 02 – The Atom

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An atom is the basic unit of matter. Every material is made up of atoms. An atom consists of a nucleus that has electrons revolving around it. The path of orbit that an electron exhibits is called a shell.
The nucleus is the largest part of an atom. It contains both protons, which have a positive charge, and neutrons, which have no charge. The amount of protons in the nucleus informs us what type of atom it is. Electrons are nearly two thousand times smaller than protons or neutrons and it is electrons’ negative charge that counter balances the proton’s positive charge. Typically, an atom will have the equal amounts of electrons and protons, which keeps atoms’ charge balanced.