Searching For The Atoms Of Life
The massive majority of an atom’s mass comes from the protons and neutrons that make it up. The whole variety of these particles (called “nucleons”) in a given atom is called the mass number.
It is a constructive integer and dimensionless (as a substitute of having dimension of mass), as a result of it expresses a depend. An example of use of a mass quantity is “carbon-12,” which has 12 nucleons (six protons and six neutrons).
Further into the 20th century, physicists went deeper into the mysteries of the atom. Using particle accelerators they found that protons and neutrons have been truly made of different particles, referred to as quarks. Virtually all of the mass of an atom resides in its nucleus, based on Chemistry LibreTexts.
The electrons in an atom are attracted to the protons in the nucleus by the electromagnetic pressure. This force binds the electrons inside an … Read More