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Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea
book

Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea

by Mark Ratner, Daniel Ratner
November 2002
Beginner
208 pages
4h 36m
English
Pearson
Content preview from Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea

Atoms and Ions

The simplest picture of an atom consists of a dense heavy nucleus with a positive charge surrounded by a group of electrons that orbit the nucleus and that (like all electrons) have negative charges. Since the nucleus and the electrons have opposite charges, electrical forces hold the atom together in much the same way that gravity holds planets around the sun. The nucleus makes up the vast majority of the mass of the atom—it is around 1,999/2,000 of the mass in hydrogen, and an even greater percentage in other atoms.

There are 91 atoms in the natural world, and each of these 91 atoms has a different charge in its nucleus. The positive charge of the nucleus is equal to the number of protons it contains, so the lightest atom (hydrogen) ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0131014005Purchase book