Form 4: Subatomic particles - The basics

Hey Form 4, this video is about subatomic particles; protons, neutrons and electrons. Watch this first:

Key points:
1. Protons carry positive charge (+ve).
2. Electrons carry negative charge (-ve).
3. Neutrons carry no charge. There is no such thing as 'neutral charge'.
4. There are two types of 'numbers':
    a. Proton number
        - Total number of protons in an atom
    b. Nucleon number
        - Total number of protons and neutrons
    c. You don't learn 'neutron number' at Form 4. It is not part of your syllabus, so don't worry about it. If you really want to know, post your question in the shoutbox and I'll ask a friend of mine to elaborate. =)
5. Neutron and Proton makes up the nucleus of the atom. The nucleus is surrounded by the electrons.
6. Number of electrons and protons are always equal in a neutral atom (without charge; for instance, Na, Ca, O, C, etc. Example of charged atoms are Na+, Ca2+, etc)
7. When an ATOM becomes an ION, it either RECEIVES electrons (reduction) or LOSES electrons (oxidation).
    - Receives electron = Reduction. This is because the oxidation number of the ION becomes smaller when it receives electron. The oxidation number is REDUCED. Hence, reduction. The opposite is true for Oxidation.

There you go. Digest all that information. For questions, post in shoutbox. =)

Cheers,
Teacher Ben