Atoms consist of an extremely small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. Although typically the nucleus is less than one ten-thousandth the size of the atom, the nucleus contains more that 99.9% of the mass of the atom. Nuclei are made of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons held together by a nuclear force. This force is much stronger than the electrostatic force that binds electrons to the nucleus, but its range is limited to distances of the order of 1 x 10-15 meters.
Atoms consist of an extremely small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. Although typically the nucleus is less than one ten-thousandth the size of the atom, the nucleus contains more that 99.9% of the mass of the atom.
Nuclei are made of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons held together by a nuclear force. This force is much stronger than the electrostatic force that binds electrons to the nucleus, but its range is limited to distances of the order of 1 x 10-15 meters.
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