Glossary
C
- components
- - parts
- compound
- - two or more atoms joined together chemically
- compressed
- - squeezed together
- conductivity
- - the ability for electricity to flow
D
- density
- - space between atoms
E
- electrons
- - negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit an atom's nucleus
- element
- - matter that is made from only one kind of atom
F
- flexibility
- - ability to bend
G
- gravity
- - natural attraction to the object of mass
M
- magma
- - lava inside the earth
- mass
- - also called weight - is not truly weight - but the amount of atoms in an object
N
- neutrons
- - neutrally charged subatomic particles that exist in the nucleus of an atom
- nucleus
- - center of an atom
P
- Periodic Table of the Elements
- - a table that lists the number of protons and other properties of the 100 or so atoms that are known to exist
- phase change
- - to change from one state to another state of matter
- plasma
- - fourth state of matter - electrically charged, lots of energy
- properties
- - descriptive ways of identifying matter
- protons
- - positively charged subatomic particles that orbit the nucleus of an atom
R
- room temperature
- - temperature of the average room - approximately between 20° to 25°c (68° to 77°f) - can vary
S
- STM
- - scanning tunneling microscope - an electron microscope used to map atoms, to obtain atomic-scale images of metal surfaces in 3 D
- subatomic particles
- - smaller parts of an atom
