week 1 ppt: Atomic Structure and Fundamentals of Physics

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering atomic theory, subatomic particles, nuclear forces, electron configurations, periodic classifications, and chemical bonding mechanisms.

Science

A systematic way of investigating the world to form general rules about why things happen, grounded in experimental or observational evidence and its interpretation, whose primary purpose is to produce reliable knowledge about the natural world.

Physics

The branch of science concerned with the properties of matter and energy and the relationships between them, fundamentally built upon mathematics.

Mass-Energy Equivalence ($E = mc^2$)

The principle formulated by Albert Einstein stating that energy ($E$) equals mass ($m$) multiplied by the square of the speed of light ($c^2$), where $c$ is a universal constant.

Solid Sphere Model

An early atomic model proposed by John Dalton in 1803 that characterized atoms as tiny, solid, indivisible billiard balls.

Plum Pudding Model

An atomic model proposed by J.J. Thomson in 1904 depicting the atom as a sphere of positive electric charge stuffed with negatively charged electrons.

Nuclear Model

An atomic model proposed by Ernest Rutherford in 1911 following the gold foil experiment, demonstrating that an atom possesses a tiny, dense, positively charged nucleus surrounded by electrons.

Planetary Model (Bohr Model)

An atomic model proposed by Niels Bohr in 1913 describing electrons orbiting the central nucleus in fixed, circular pathways at defined energy levels, analogous to planets orbiting the sun.

Gold Foil Experiment

An experiment conducted by Ernest Rutherford proving that atoms have a dense, positively charged central nucleus and that the atom consists mostly of empty space.

Strong Nuclear Force

The primary, powerful attractive force that acts between protons and neutrons to bind the atomic nucleus together, overcoming electrostatic repulsion.

Weak Nuclear Force

A fundamental force responsible for radioactive decay processes (such as beta decay) rather than holding the atomic nucleus together.

Binding Energy

The energy generated by the strong nuclear force that holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus, which also represents the exact energy required to split an atom.

Atom

The basic unit of matter composed of a dense central nucleus (containing protons and neutrons) surrounded by orbiting electrons, with nearly all atomic mass located in the nucleus.

Proton

A subatomic nucleon carrying one unit of positive electrical charge ($+1$), having a rest mass of $1.673 \times 10^{-27}\,\text{kg}$ ($938.3\,\text{MeV}$) and a half-life exceeding $10^{32}\,\text{years}$.

Neutron

An uncharged subatomic nucleon with a mass of $1.675 \times 10^{-27}\,\text{kg}$ ($938.6\,\text{MeV}$) that is stable inside atomic nuclei but has a half-life of approximately 15 minutes when free.

Electron

A stable subatomic particle possessing one unit of negative electrical charge ($-1$) and a mass of $9.109 \times 10^{-31}\,\text{kg}$ ($0.511\,\text{MeV}$), orbiting the nucleus within defined energy shells.

Positron ($e^+$)

The positively charged antiparticle counterpart of an electron, having a charge of $+1$, a mass of $0.511\,\text{MeV}$, and a stable half-life.

Anion

A negatively charged ion created when an atom has more electrons than protons, which is attracted to the anode during electrolysis.

Cation

A positively charged ion created when an atom has more protons than electrons, which is attracted to the cathode during electrolysis.

Orbit

A well-defined, two-dimensional, circular pathway or trajectory in which an electron moves around the nucleus, as described by the Bohr model.

Orbital

A three-dimensional probability region around the nucleus where an electron is predicted to be located 90% of the time, dictating atomic subshell shape and energy.

$s$-Orbital

A spherical orbital centered on the atomic nucleus that contains one spherical node.

$p$-Orbital

A dumbbell-shaped orbital oriented along one of three Cartesian axes ($x$, $y$, or $z$) containing one planar node.

$d$-Orbital

A multi-lobed, complex orbital shape containing two planar nodes.

$f$-Orbital

A highly complex orbital shape characterized by multiple lobes and three planar nodes.

Isotopes

Atoms belonging to the same element that have the identical number of protons (atomic number) but differing numbers of neutrons, resulting in different atomic masses.

Protium, Deuterium, and Tritium

The three isotopes of hydrogen: Protium ($^1_1\text{H}$, 1 proton, 0 neutrons), Deuterium ($^2_1\text{H}$, 1 proton, 1 neutron), and Tritium ($^3_1\text{H}$, 1 proton, 2 neutrons).

Isotones

Nuclides that have the same number of neutrons but different numbers of protons, such as $^{36}\text{S}$, $^{37}\text{Cl}$, $^{38}\text{Ar}$, $^{39}\text{K}$, and $^{40}\text{Ca}$.

Isobars

Nuclides that possess different numbers of protons but share the same total mass number (protons plus neutrons), such as $^{40}\text{S}$, $^{40}\text{Cl}$, $^{40}\text{Ar}$, $^{40}\text{K}$, and $^{40}\text{Ca}$.

Nuclear Isomers

Atoms containing identical numbers of protons and neutrons that exist in different nuclear energy states, such as $^{99\text{m}}\text{Tc}$ and $^{99}\text{Tc}$.

Electron-Binding Energy

The electrostatic attraction holding an electron within its orbital shell, which increases with proximity to the nucleus and with an increasing number of nuclear protons.

Electron Shell Capacity Formula ($2n^2$)

The rule used to calculate the maximum number of electrons an electron shell can hold, where $n$ corresponds to the principal shell number ($K=1$, $L=2$, $M=3$, $N=4$, $O=5$).

Atomic Number ($Z$)

The total number of protons contained within the nucleus of an atom.

Atomic Mass Number ($A$)

The combined total number of protons and neutrons located in an atom's nucleus.

Molecule

A chemical structure formed by two or more atoms chemically bonded together.

Compound

A distinct chemical substance composed of atoms of two or more different elements chemically bonded together.

Periodic Table

An organized tabular chart of all 118 known chemical elements arranged into 7 periods and 18 groups, first formulated by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869.

Period

A horizontal row in the periodic table (7 in total), where the period number indicates the total number of electron/orbital shells present in those elements.

Group (Family)

A vertical column in the periodic table (18 in total) whose elements exhibit similar chemical and physical properties because they share the same valence electron shell configuration.

Valence Electron (Outermost Electron)

An electron positioned in the outermost occupied shell of an atom, responsible for governing chemical properties and taking part in bonding.

Ionic Bonding

An electrovalent chemical bond formed when one atom completely transfers one or more electrons to another atom, creating oppositely charged ions that attract each other.

Covalent Bonding

A non-ionic chemical bond formed when atoms share pairs of valence electrons in a figure-eight orbital path to achieve full, stable outer electron shells.