Welcome, dear explorer 🌍! Dive into the fascinating world of atoms, the tiny miracles that make up everything around us, including you!
An atom is the smallest unit of matter that retains all of the chemical properties of an element. Atoms consist of a nucleus made of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons skittering in orbits. 🧪✨
Atoms are incredibly small; a single sheet of paper is a whopping 50,000 atoms thick! Isn’t that mind-blowing? 😲
The nucleus contains protons, which are positively charged, and neutrons, which have no charge. The number of protons defines the element: for example, carbon atoms always have 6 protons.🔬👩🔬
Electrons, which are negatively charged, dance around the nucleus, creating clouds of negative charge that balance the positive charge of the protons.