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 proton? relative mass charge A 0 +1 B 0 -1 C 1 +1 D 1 -1 (ii) An atom has a radius of 1.0 × 10^-10 m. A nucleus has a radius of 1.0 × 10^-15 m. Calculate the ratio of the radius of the atom to the radius of the nucleus. (iii) Explain why an atom has no charge overall.

GCSE Edexcel Physics The Atom: An atom has a central nucleus co

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

(i) Which row of the table gives the relative mass and charge of a proton?

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Answer

The correct answer is C:

Relative mass: 1
Charge: +1

A proton has a relative mass of 1 and a positive charge of +1, distinguishing it from other subatomic particles.

Step 2

(ii) Calculate the ratio of the radius of the atom to the radius of the nucleus.

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Answer

To find the ratio of the radius of the atom to the radius of the nucleus, we use the given values:

Radius of the atom: $1.0 × 10^{-10}$ m
Radius of the nucleus: $1.0 × 10^{-15}$ m

The ratio can be calculated as follows:

$ext{Ratio} = rac{ ext{Radius of atom}}{ ext{Radius of nucleus}} = rac{1.0 × 10^{-10}}{1.0 × 10^{-15}} = 10^{5}$

Thus, the ratio of the radius of the atom to the radius of the nucleus is $10^{5}$ .

Step 3

(iii) Explain why an atom has no charge overall.

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An atom has no charge overall because it contains an equal number of protons and electrons. Protons carry a positive charge, while electrons carry a negative charge. Since these charges balance each other out, the atom remains electrically neutral. Neutrons, which have no charge, do not affect the overall charge of the atom.

An atom has a central nucleus containing neutrons and protons - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2023 - Paper 1

Worked Solution & Example Answer:An atom has a central nucleus containing neutrons and protons - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2023 - Paper 1

(i) Which row of the table gives the relative mass and charge of a proton?

(ii) Calculate the ratio of the radius of the atom to the radius of the nucleus.

(iii) Explain why an atom has no charge overall.

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