Matter & Mass

Matter & Mass

1. Atoms are the smallest building blocks of elements.

   • They are made from three types of subatomic particle:
     • Protons
     • Neutrons
     • Electrons

2. Protons and neutrons are held together in the nucleus.

3. Electrons move around in a large area surrounding the nucleus.

4. Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge. Neutrons are neutral (they have no charge)

5. There are the same number of negative electrons as positive protons. This means that an atom has no overall charge.

6. Elements are made from only one type of atom. Different elements have different numbers or protons in the nucleus of their atoms.

7. The mass of a protein is 1 atomic mass unit. The mass of other particles are compared to this.