TOM THE ATOM, BOOK 2

Atoms are like guys, with big eyes that look at you in surprise and have different round sizes! 

​

GOAL: To describe Atoms’ bodies. How are they? What gives them their weight, size, chemical characteristics, and character?

​

Atoms that look like soccer balls with one to eight little hands ready to hug the closest neighboring atoms. Although the ten families are similar, all Atom’s bodies are similar in their general structure but are different in detail. They have a small belly and one to several shells or belts, like layers in an onion. In their stomach or nucleus, they have neutrons and protons. They have electrons rotating around their central nucleus in the shells or belts. The number of protons plus neutrons in their belly gives the atoms their weight, while the number of shells or belts provide the atoms with their size. The number of protons identifies the atom with 1 proton for Hydrogen to 92 protons for Uranium.  Their family names give them their chemical characteristics. Only the outermost shell’s electrons define atoms character.