BRAINCAKEAtomic Number
The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus.
The overall charge of an atom is zero. This is because an atom has the same number of electrons as protons.
Protons and neutrons are held together in the nucleus by the strong nuclear force. Most atoms contain approximately the same number of neutrons and protons. As the nucleus gets bigger, more neutrons are needed to hold the neutrons and protons together.
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More in Atoms, Ions and Compounds
- The Nuclear Atom.
- Isotopes
- Ions
- Carbon-12
- Relative Isotopic Mass
- Relative Atomic Mass
- The Mass Spectrometer
- Calculating Relative Atomic Mass
All 17 lessons in Atoms, Ions and Compounds · All OCR AS-level Chemistry topics