Particles and Radiation - Inside the Atom & Specific Charge

Vocabulary flashcards covering subatomic particle properties, isotopes of hydrogen, atomic notation, and specific charge calculations.

Nucleon number ($A$)

The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, also called the mass number.

Atomic number ($Z$)

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, also called the proton number.

Isotopes

Atoms with the same atomic number but different neutron numbers, which changes their mass but does not affect the element identity or its chemical properties.

Protium

The hydrogen isotope represented as ${}^{1}_{1}\text{H}$, consisting of $1$ proton and $0$ neutrons.

Deuterium

The hydrogen isotope represented as ${}^{2}_{1}\text{H}$, consisting of $1$ proton and $1$ neutron.

Tritium

The hydrogen isotope represented as ${}^{3}_{1}\text{H}$, consisting of $1$ proton and $2$ neutrons.

Proton

A constituent particle of the nucleus with a relative mass of $1$, a rest mass of $1.67 \times 10^{-27}\,\text{kg}$, and a charge of $+1.60 \times 10^{-19}\,\text{C}$.

Neutron

A constituent particle of the nucleus with a relative mass of $1$, a rest mass of $1.67 \times 10^{-27}\,\text{kg}$, and a charge of $0\,\text{C}$.

Electron

A subatomic particle orbiting the nucleus with a relative mass of $\frac{1}{1840}$, a rest mass of $9.11 \times 10^{-31}\,\text{kg}$, and a charge of $-1.60 \times 10^{-19}\,\text{C}$.

Specific charge

A value that states how much charge a particle or nucleus has in relation to its mass, measured in $\text{C}\,\text{kg}^{-1}$.

Specific charge formula

$\text{Specific Charge} = \frac{\text{Charge}}{\text{Mass}}$, expressed in $\text{C}\,\text{kg}^{-1}$.