Summary Questions

• What are the three states of matter?

  Solid, liquid, and gas
• What was the gold foil experiment conducted by Rutherford, Geiger, and Marsden?

  • Alpha particles were directed at a thin gold foil.
  • Most particles passed through, but some were deflected.
  • This led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.
• What is the nucleus of an atom?

  The nucleus is the central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons.
• What are electrons in an atom?

  Electrons are negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus.
• What are isotopes?

  Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
• How do isotopes differ from one another?

  • Same number of protons
  • Different number of neutrons
  • Different atomic masses
• How would you draw a simple diagram of an atom?

  • Draw a central nucleus
  • Label protons and neutrons in the nucleus
  • Draw electrons in orbitals around the nucleus