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Build an atom

Add protons, neutrons and electrons, and watch what you have made.

SchoolLive

Scientific learning path

  1. 01UnderstandLive
  2. 02ExploreLive
  3. 03ExperimentLive
  4. 04ObserveLive
  5. 05ExplainLive
  6. 06ApplyLive
  7. 07TestBuilding
Explanation mode
  • Protons1
  • Neutrons0
  • Electrons1
Protons1
Neutrons0
Electrons1
Try one

Description of this simulation

1 proton makes this Hydrogen. With 0 neutrons the mass number is 1, so this is Hydrogen-1. Electrons balance protons exactly, so the atom is neutral. This isotope is stable.

HHydrogen
Atomic number
1
Mass number
1
Charge
0Neutral atom
Isotope
Hydrogen-1
Electron configuration
1s1
Stability
Stable
Natural abundance
99.9885%
Neutron-to-proton ratio
0.00

What this model shows — and what it simplifies

Educational Model

The rings are a shell diagram — a way to count electrons per shell.

Where do we see this in real life?

A smoke alarm contains americium-241 — 95 protons and 146 neutrons. Change the neutron count and you change the half-life, which is exactly why that isotope and not another one sits in the ceiling.