GCSE Combined Science (AQA)

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Atom Size

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Atomic structure and the periodic table A simple model of the atom, symbols, relative atomic mass, electronic charge and isotopes

Atom Size

5:00 Atomic and Mass Number: Subatomic Particles and Size
Spec 4.1.1.5
Previous Atomic Number & Mass Number Next Isotopes
  • Atoms are extremely small and cannot be seen with the naked eye.
  • An iron nail is composed of many iron atoms.
  • Atoms are so small that individual atoms cannot be seen, only the object as a whole.
  • Standard units, like meters, are used in science to make measurements.
  • Meters are suitable for measuring everyday objects but not atoms.
  • The radius of a beach ball is around 0.45 meters, a manageable number.
  • The radius of an atom is approximately 0.0000000001 meters, a cumbersome number to work with.
  • Millimeters and nanometers are used to measure small things.
  • A millimeter is 1/1000th of a meter; a nanometer is 1/1,000,000,000th of a meter.
  • Atoms have a radius of about 0.1 nanometers.
  • The radius of an atom can be expressed in standard form as 1 x 10^-10 meters.
  • The diameter of an atom is twice its radius, 2 x 10^-10 meters.
  • The diameter of a human hair is 5 x 10^-5 meters.
  • Approximately 250,000 atoms can fit across the width of a human hair.

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