An atom has a central nucleus containing neutrons and protons - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2023 - Paper 1
Question 4
An atom has a central nucleus containing neutrons and protons.
Electrons orbit the nucleus.
(i) Which row of the table gives the relative mass and charge of a proto... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:An atom has a central nucleus containing neutrons and protons - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2023 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which row of the table gives the relative mass and charge of a proton?
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Answer
The correct answer is row C, which states that the relative mass of a proton is 1 and its charge is +1.
Step 2
Calculate the ratio of the radius of the atom to the radius of the nucleus.
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Answer
To calculate the ratio, we use the formula:
ext{Ratio} = rac{ ext{radius of atom}}{ ext{radius of nucleus}} = rac{1.0 imes 10^{-10} m}{1.0 imes 10^{-15} m} = 10^5
Thus, the ratio is 100000.
Step 3
Explain why an atom has no charge overall.
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Answer
An atom has no overall charge because it contains an equal number of protons, which are positively charged, and electrons, which are negatively charged. These charges balance each other out, resulting in a neutral charge for the atom. Neutrons do not affect the charge since they are neutral.
