A1 - Building Atoms
Name: _________________________
Block: _________ Date: _________
What is an atom?
Atoms make up everything you see, touch, smell, and eat. Atoms
are so small you can’t see them. It takes millions and millions of
atoms to form a single crystal of salt in your salt shaker. Each type
of atom is called an element. All the elements are represented on
a special chart called the periodic table. In this investigation, you
will use the Atom Building Game to learn the parts of an atom and
what makes the atoms of one element different from the atoms
of another element.
Materials
• One Atom Building Game
with marbles.
• Periodic table that comes
with the game
A. What are the parts of an atom?
The Atom Building Game represents a model of an atom. The
center of the board represents the nucleus of an atom. The outer rings
around the center represent energy levels.
Three colors of marbles come with the game. The marbles represent
the three kinds of subatomic particles in the atom. The green marbles
represent protons. The blue marbles represent neutrons. Protons and
neutrons always go in the nucleus of an atom. The yellow marbles
represent electrons. Electrons always go in the energy levels.
Protons and electrons have charge. Charge can be positive or
negative. Each proton has a positive charge of +1. Each electron
has a negative charge of –1. Neutrons have no charge and are “neutral.”
When the number of protons equals the number of electrons in an atom, the atom
has no charge. An atom has a charge when the number of protons is different from
the number of electrons. An atom with a positive or negative charge is called an ion.
As you answer the questions, you will build a beryllium atom. When asked to find the
total charge for a group of subatomic particles, use the following formula:
Number of particles × Charge of one particle = Total charge
a.
b.
c.
d.
Place four protons (green marbles) in the center of the board. What is the total charge of the protons?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Place five neutrons (blue marbles) in the center of the board with the protons. What is the total charge of
the protons plus the neutrons? _______________________________________________________
If you have four electrons (yellow marbles), what is the total charge of these particles?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Finish building the atom, by adding the four electrons to the outer levels on the board. Now, add the total
charges of all the particles in the atom. What is the total charge of the atom you built?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Atom Building Game
Copyright
2009 CPO Science
Can be duplicated for classroom use
1
e.
Draw a diagram of the beryllium atom. Include all the parts of the atom. Label your
diagram.
B. Identifying elements
On the Atom Building Game board, you have a model of a beryllium atom. This atom has four protons, five
neutrons, and four electrons. You can find out more information about beryllium by looking at the periodic
table that comes with the Atom Building Game.
a. What is the symbol for the element beryllium? ______________________________
b. What is the atomic number for beryllium? __________________________________
The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of the
element. Since the atomic number of beryllium is 4, all beryllium atoms have 4 protons.
Using your periodic table, fill in the columns below.
Element
Name
Atomic
Number
Number of
protons
Number of
electrons
Atomic
mass
Hydrogen
1
Oxygen
16
11
23
13
27
Calcium
Number of
neutrons
40
29
Atom Building Game
63
Copyright
2009 CPO Science
Can be duplicated for classroom use
2