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Unit 7: Astrophysics                                                                   Page 19



                                      Textbook Reading




                                    Lesson 1: Particle Physics


                                        Matter is                 number of protons (positive
                                        anything that             charge) and electron (negative
                                        has mass.                 charge) so the charges cancel and
                                        Another way to            the atom is usually neutral. If an

                                        think about it            atom loses or gains an electron, it
                                        is that matter            becomes an ion and takes on a
                                        is anything               charge.
               affected by gravity. The matter
               you're familiar with is made up of                 Free neutrons are generally
               atoms and ions, but that only                      unstable.  It has to do with the
               makes up a small part of the                       way it's built, meaning how the
               matter in our universe. The matter                 quarks inside the neutron are
               in black holes is not necessarily                  arranged.  If you could put a naked

               made of the same stuff in your                     neutron by itself on a shelf, it
               fridge.                                            wouldn't last more than fifteen
                                                                  minutes before it flipped and

               A Overview of the Atom                             became a proton. Isn't science
                                                                  weird?
               All matter is made of some kind of
               particle. Visible matter (the chair,               How to Turn Lead Into
               table, book, car, even you!) is                    Gold
               made up of electrons and quarks.
               Quarks make up the nucleus of the                  The number of protons inside the
               atom. They are subatomic particles                 atom determines what type of
               that you can arrange in certain                    element it is. For example, an
               ways to get protons and neutrons.                  atom with two protons in the core
               Most of the mass is inside the                     is a helium atom. An atom with
               atom's nucleus.                                    eight protons is an oxygen atom.

                                                                  You can change the atom by
               Zipping around the nucleus is the                  adding or taking away protons. To
               electron, which carries a negative                 turn lead (which has 82 protons)
               electrical charge and very little                  into gold (79 protons), you would

               mass. Atoms carry the same




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