The Elements Page

General info before you read on:

All matter is made of atoms. Elements have certain Atomic Numbers (AN). The AN of an atom depends on how many protons (positively charged particle) it has. Protons are what make atoms unique. Neutrons are also particles in atoms. Neutrons have no charge, but are a little bigger than protons. The amount of neutrons an atom has makes an element an isotope. Each type of atom has a few different isotopes. Neutrons do not affect the AN of an atom, so the element remains the same; it just has slight differences in chemical properties. Protons and neutrons are all bound together in the nucleus in the center of an atom. The overall amount of protons and neutrons is the Atomic Weight.

Orbiting around the nucleus are electrons. Electrons are 2000 times smaller than a proton, so they are TINY (or should I say tiny). Surprisingly, though, one electron has an equally powerful amount of negative charge as one proton. Since positive charges attract negative charges, protons attract electrons, so atoms usually have the same amount of electrons as protons. Electrons whiz around a huge space. If you made an atom trillions of times larger, the nucleus would be like a marble with tiny dots (electrons) buzzing about an area the size of a football field! Electrons can be rubbed off, though. So if an atom has too many electrons, it is negatively charged, and if it has too little, it is positively charged. If it has an imbalance, it is called an ion.

Think you're ready to read about these elements? Well, here they are: