Names: Samuel, Zoecray Shane D.

Section: 8D Date: 4/3/2023

Knowing Atoms Better

PART I: ATOM SCREEN

1. Go to the website: phet.colorado.edu. Click on HTML5 simulations on top right of screen and choose the Build an Atom
simulation (htt0.p://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom)
2. Explore the Build an Atom simulation with your pair. As you explore, talk about what you find. List two things you
observed in the simulation.
a. The simulation shows and presents an element as you add subatomic particles to the orbit.
b. The net charge and mass number are represented by the bars labeled at the right side, and as additional subatomic
particles are added, they either increase or decrease, depending on how many.

3. Click on the + sign for each of the boxes (element name, net charge and mass number) to view changes as you change the
number of particles in the atom.
4. What particle(s) are found in the center of the atom?
Protons and Neutrons are found in the center of the atom.
5. Play until you discover which particle(s) determine(s) the name of the element you build.
Adding 4 protons and 3 neutrons increased the mass to 7, and after that, 3 electrons were added to the shells to increase
the ne charge to one. Therefore, beryllium should be the element.
6. What is the name of the following atoms?
a. An atom with 4 protons and 6 neutrons: Beryllium-10
b. An atom with 5 protons and 6 neutrons: Boron-11
c. An atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons: Carbon-12
7. Play with the simulation to discover which particles affect the charge of an atom or ion.
The protons and electrons affect the charge of an atom or ion.
8. Fill in the blanks below to show your results:
a. Neutral atoms have the same number of protons and electrons.
b. Positive ions have more protons than electrons.
c. Negative ions have less protons than electrons.
9. Develop a relationship (in the form of a single sentence or equation) that can predict the charge based on the number and
types of particles.

Proton/s – Electron/s = Charge

Example:
Nitrogen-13

7 protons 7 – 4 = 3 Charges
6 neutrons
4 electrons
10. Play with the simulation to discover what affects the mass number of your atom or ion.
a. What is a rule for determining the mass number of an atom or ion?
The total number of protons and neutrons in the atom's nucleus is the atom's mass number.

11. Practice applying your understanding by playing 1st and 2nd levels on the game screen.
berifun

PART II: SYMBOL SCREEN

12. Using the Symbol readout box, figure out which particles affect each component of the atomic symbol and how the
value of the numbers is determined.

Term to describe this Particle used to determine How the value is

Position in symbol box
information this determined
# of p will identify the
a Element symbol protons
element

b Net charge Protons and electrons p+ - e-

# of p in the nucleus of an
c Atomic number protons
atom

d Mass number Protons, neutrons p+n

13. Create a definition (using a complete sentence) for each of these items based on your labels from the atomic symbol
above.
a. Element Symbol
Identified by the number of protons as it is the representation of elements using one or two letters.
b. Charge
The negative or positive charge of an element, determined by subtracting the protons and electrons.
c. Atomic Number
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom and also help identifies the element.
d. Mass Number
The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom which is the mass of the element.
14. Practice applying your understanding by playing the 3rd and 4th game levels. Play until you can get all the questions
correct on the 4th level. Fill in the information here for your last screen of the 4th game level:
protons ____________
neutrons ___________
electrons ___________

15. In addition to atomic symbol, we can represent atoms by name and mass number. Complete the table below:
 Symbol Name

Carbon-12

Flourine-18

Boron-11

a) Each representation (Symbol and Name) in the table above provides information about the atom. Describe the
similarities and differences between the Symbol and Name representations.

The difference between symbol and name representations is that symbol representations include the charge, atomic #, and
mass #, whereas name representations only include the mass number on the right side. The similarities between symbol and
name representations are that they both represent the same element and mass number.

PART III: ISOTOPES

16. Play with the simulation to determine:
a. Which particles affect the stability of the atom? Protons and neutrons
b. Which particles do not affect the stability of the atom? Electrons
17. What are the names of the stable forms of oxygen?
a. Oxygen-16 b. Oxygen-17 c. Oxygen-18
18. List all of the things that are the same about these atoms (ignore the electrons).
Same # of protons

19. List all of the things that are different about these atoms (ignore the electrons).
Different # of neutrons

20. The atoms in the previous question are isotopes of each other. Based on this information, list the requirements for two
atoms to be isotopes of each other.
They have to be the same element, with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

21. Test your understanding of isotopes by examining the relationships between the pairs of atoms listed below:

Atom 1 Atom 2 Relationship between atom 1 and atom 2

Isotopes
Same Atom, Not Isotopes of Each Other
Different Element
Isotopes
Carbon-12 Same Atom, Not Isotopes of Each Other
Different Element
Isotopes
Argon-40 Argon-41 Same Atom, Not Isotopes of Each Other
Different Element
 Isotopes
Boron-10 Same Atom, Not Isotopes of Each Other
Different Element
An atom with 13 Isotopes
An atom with 14 protons and
protons and 13 Same Atom, Not Isotopes of Each Other
13 neutrons
neutrons Different Element

PART IV: REVIEW EXERCISES

22. The periodic table has a great deal of information about every atom. Using your periodic table, answer the following
questions:

a. What is the atomic number of hafnium? 72 c. How many protons are there in any roentgenium
atom? 111
b. What is the atomic number of platinum? 78 d. How many protons are there in any polonium atom? 84
23. Can you tell from your own periodic table exactly how many neutrons are in an atom? Explain your answer.

You can't because neutrons in an atom vary, and it's not visible in the periodic table.

24. How will you use your periodic table to find the number of neutrons?

To get the neutrons in an atom, subtract the mass number and atomic number (proton/s) of the element in the periodic
table.

25. What do an atom, ion and isotope of an element have in common?

All have the same # of protons.
26. How are they different?

Ions differ in number of electrons, and isotopes differ in the number of neutrons.

27. Complete the following table. Assume that the atoms without given charges or number of electrons are neutral.
Shorthand
Notation Atomic Mass Number of Number of
Name Charge
Complete number Number neutrons Electrons
this!
hydrogen-2 2
H 1 2 1 1 0
3
H
sodium-22 22
Na+ 10
12 24 12
12 25 13
46
Ti2
107
Ag
127
I 54
carbon-12 6
carbon-13 6
carbon-14 6
carbon-12 7
 carbon-12 5
109
Ag1
moscovium-
0
290
12 3
70
Ga+3
64 156
138 86 2

28. To test your knowledge of isotopes, draw arrows between all pairs of atoms in the table above that are isotopes of each
other.