| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Gamma Ray | High-frequency em radiation emitted by the nuclei of radioactive atoms. |
| J.J. Thompson | Worked with cathode rays, came up with chocolate chip cookie dough model of atom, |
| Line Spectrum | The element's "fingerprint". (each one has their own characteristic spectrum, different from any other element's) |
| Earnest Rutherford | Used gold-foil experiment and discovered the atomic nucleus. He found that most of the particles passed through, but a small amount of the alpha particles were deflected, sometimes completely back at him. He had just found the *atomic nucleus*. |
| Protons | The positively charged particles in an atomic nucleus. |
| Electrons | The negatively charged particles in an atom. (orbitting nucleus) |
| Neutrons | The electrically neutral particles in an atomic nucleus. |
| Atomic Number | The number that designates the identity of an element, which is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom; in a neutral atom, the atomic number is also the number of electrons in the atom. |
| Ion | A charged particle. |
| Isotopes | Two (or more) atoms whose nuclei contain the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons. |
| Atomic Mass Number | The number associated with an atom that is the same as the number of protons plus neutrons in its nucleus. |
| Nuclear Strong Force | The force that counteracts electrical repulsion and holds the atom together. |
| Red | Low energy photon. |
| Violet | High energy photon. |
| Photon | A particle of light. |
| Ground State | When the electron returns to its original orbit, it de-excites, and it gives of a photon of light. |
| Excited State | An atom in a higher energy level. (when the electrons is boosted from a low energy inner orbit to a high energy outer orbit.), the atom absorbs a photon. |
| Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle | You can never know the exact location of an electron, because detection messes things up. |
| Neil Bohr | Came up with the planetary model of the atom. |
| Nuclear Fission | The splitting of the nucleus of a heavy atom, such as Uranium-235, into two main parts, accompanied by the release of much energy. |
| Nuclear Fusion | The combination of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier nuclei, with the release of much energy. |
| Half-Life | The smaller the half-life the faster the decay rate. |
| Atomic Orbital | The region in which electrons orbit. |
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