Atoms consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons, with the atomic number indicating the number of protons and defining an element. Electrons, residing outside the nucleus, affect the charge of an atom, with specific rules governing their arrangement in orbitals.
Insights
The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons it contains, defining its unique identity, while isotopes have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons, affecting the mass number and atomic mass.
Electrons, with a negative charge, reside outside the nucleus in orbitals, following specific rules for arrangement within an atom, such as the Poly Exclusion Principle and H's Rule, with orbitals of different shapes representing various energy levels.
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What are atoms made of?
Atoms are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.