Atoms, Isotopes, and Radioisotopes 10 Physics PDF 2024

Atoms, Isotopes, and Radioisotopes 10 Physics - 2024 Atoms Structure of the atom: (Rutherford, 1911) Proton – Positive charge, found in the nucleus. Neutron – Neutral charge, found in the nucleus. Electron - Negative charge, orbits the nucleus. Nucleus – Made of protons and neutron...

Atoms, Isotopes, and Radioisotopes 10 Physics - 2024 Atoms Structure of the atom: (Rutherford, 1911) Proton – Positive charge, found in the nucleus. Neutron – Neutral charge, found in the nucleus. Electron - Negative charge, orbits the nucleus. Nucleus – Made of protons and neutrons (called nucleons), held together by the strong nuclear force, makes up more than 99% of an atom’s mass. Mass Number – The number of protons and neutrons in an atom (they’re not always equal). Atomic Number – The number of protons in an atom. Isotopes The atom of an element will always have the same number of protons but they can have different numbers of neutrons in its nucleus. We call each of these isotopes. For example, Carbon most commonly has a mass number of 12 (6 protons and 6 neutrons). Sometimes though it can have a mass of 13 or 14, meaning 7 or 8 neutrons. We would refer to each of these as Carbon-12, Carbon-13, and Carbon-14. Radioisotopes Isotopes can either be stable or unstable depending on the number of neutrons it has. Any unstable isotope is radioactive and is therefore known as a radioisotope. In the case of Carbon, Carbon-14 is unstable and could decay at any moment into a different substance and a dangerous high- energy particle. We will look at this more in Week 3. Ions An ion is an atom with an overall charge. The charge can be positive or negative. Positive ions – Formed when an atom loses an electron, creating a positive charge. Also called a cation. Negative ions - Formed when an atom gains an electron, creating a negative charge. Also called an anion. Practice Questions