In science class, we have been learning about elements and the Periodic Table. In all, 117 elements have been discovered, of which 94 exist naturally on Earth. The other 23 have been made artificially. This means that they are radioactive, and if they were to be present on Earth, they would have already decayed. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in the atom. The number of protons in the atomic nucleus also determine its electric charge, and the number of electrons of the atom in the non-ionized state. This determines the atom's many chemical properties. The mass number is the number of nucleons (protons and neutrons) in the nucleus. Isotopes are atoms of the same element with the same number of protons in their nucleus, but different numbers of neutrons. Most natural elements have more than one isotope. The element with the most isotopes is tin, which has 10.
~~Interesting Fact: The term 'element' was first used by a Greek philosopher named Plato in about 360 BCE.
I find the Periodic table quite interesting and I like learning about elements. It's amazing how there are so many elements, yet there are lots more out there just waiting to be discovered! For more info, and to see the Periodic Table, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_element.
~~Interesting Fact: The term 'element' was first used by a Greek philosopher named Plato in about 360 BCE.
I find the Periodic table quite interesting and I like learning about elements. It's amazing how there are so many elements, yet there are lots more out there just waiting to be discovered! For more info, and to see the Periodic Table, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_element.
