Forces
within the Atom |
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What is a force? |
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Any
influence (PUSH OR PULL) that gives energy to an object, sometimes causing
a change in the motion of the object. | |
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We
use forces in our lives every day . . . When you kick a ball, your foot
makes the ball move by imparting a force on the ball.
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We
recognize forces that occur when one object touches another, but can
forces between two objects occur if they DO NOT touch? ? ? | |||
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YES!!!! | ||
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Forces,
such as gravity and magnetism, pull falling objects (pine cones and
leaves) towards the earth and push the like poles of magnets apart. |
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So,What
Forces Keep an Atom Together ? | |
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·
There
are four natural forces that are responsible for the behavior of an atom’s
particles . . . |
The Fantastic Four Forces within the
Atom |
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ELECTROMAGNETIC
FORCES
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A
force that combines the effects of electrical charge and magnetism. The
electromagnetic force can either attract or repel the particles on which
it acts. Oppositely charged particles attract each other, while like
particles repel one another. | |
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Electrons
are kept in the orbit around the nucleus by the electromagnetic force,
because the nucleus in the center of the atom is positively charged and
attracts the negatively charged electrons. |
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QUESTION—If
all the protons inside the nucleus are the same charge and repel, what
keeps them from bursting and exploding the atom? ? ? How do they stay together? ?
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ANSWER—
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THE
STRONG FORCE—the greatest of the four
forces! | ||
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·
The
strong forces oppose the electromagnetic force of repulsion between
protons. Like ”glue” the strong force keeps the protons together to form
the nucleus. |
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The
strong forces and electromagnetic forces both hold the atom
together. |
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WEAK
FORCES | |
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·
Weak
forces are important because they are responsible for stabilizing
particles through the process of radioactive decay, in which a
neutron in the nucleus changes into a proton and an
electron. |
GRAVITY—mentioned last, is it the
least? | |
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Gravity
is the force most familiar to us in our everyday lives—(apples, leaves,
and planets) |
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·
Gravity
is the force of attraction exerted between all objects in nature. Gravity
causes apples and leaves to fall to the ground from the trees, as well as
the planets to remain in orbit around the sun. ·
Gravity is most easily observed in
the behavior of large objects.
Inside the tiny nucleus of an atom, the effect of gravity is small
compared to the effects of the other three forces. Therefore, gravity is
the weakest of the four
forces!!! | |
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Conclusion: |
What
keeps the atom together? Who are the Fantastic
Four? | |
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The
atom is comprised of three major particles—protons, neutrons and
electrons. There are four
forces (Electromagnetic, Strong, Weak, and Gravity) that are responsible
for the behavior of the particles and thus keep the atom
together. |
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