Atoms and elements

 Atoms are the smallest particles of matter, that we cannot break down further by
chemical means.
 Each atom consists of a nucleus and a cloud of particles called electrons that move
around it.

The elements

 An element contains only one kind of atom.

 There are around 90 elements found in the Earth and atmosphere.

Symbols for the elements

 To make identification of elements easy, each element has a symbol.

 For example the symbol for carbon is C, and the symbol for potassium is K.
 All the known elements are presented a table called the Periodic table of elements.

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The Periodic Table:
 It gives the names and symbols for the elements.
 The column (group) and row (period) an element is in gives us lots of clues about it.
 For example, look at the columns numbered I, II, III …
 The elements in these form families or groups, with similar properties.
 So if you know how one element in Group I behaves, for example, you can make a good
guess about the others.
 The vertical columns are called GROUPS

 The rows are called PERIODS.

Questions

1 What is: a an atom? b an element?

2 If you could look inside an atom, what would you see?

3 Which element has this symbol? a Ca b Mg c N

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