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Building an atom – protons, neutrons, electrons, symbols and a game

Integrated ScienceAtoms, Elements & BondingAges 12–13

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Drag protons, neutrons and electrons from three buckets into the model to build an atom; the element name, the charge (= protons − electrons) and the mass number A = p + n update instantly, and the nucleus wobbles if it is not a stable isotope. The Symbol screen adds an atomic symbol box in the form ᴬZX; the Game screen has 4 levels for practising counting particles, building an atom from its symbol, writing the symbol and picking the element on the periodic table, with ions and isotopes at higher levels. Adapted from the "Build an Atom" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.

Lesson: Atomic structure

What it shows

The lesson on atoms, part of the topic "Atoms and an introduction to the periodic table", asks students to describe the structure of an atom in terms of its three basic particles and to tell a neutral atom from an ion.

How to use

Drag protons (red), neutrons (grey) and electrons (blue) from the three buckets into the model to build an atom; the element name, charge and mass number appear alongside straight away, and the nucleus wobbles if it is not a stable isotope. The Symbol screen adds a full atomic symbol box; the Game screen has 4 levels for practising counting particles from a picture, building an atom from a given symbol, writing the symbol and identifying the element on the periodic table, with ions and isotopes added at higher levels.

Parameters you can change

  • Screen Atom, Symbol, Game
  • Electron shell view Orbits, Cloud
  • Show stable/unstable nucleus

Questions to explore

  1. An atom has 6 protons, 6 neutrons and 6 electrons. Which element is it, and how many electrons are in its outer shell?
  2. If you add one electron to a neutral atom, what kind of ion do you get, and what is its charge?
  3. Are two atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons the same element? What are they called?

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