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Name: ______________________________________
Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Element Builder
What Happens When Atoms Change? Part 1
Vocabulary: atom, atomic number, electron, element, isotope, mass number, neutron, nucleus,
periodic table, proton, valence electrons
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. What are the three particles that make up an atom? _______________________________
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2. What is the mass of each particle? ______________________________________________
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3. What is the charge of each particle? _____________________________________________
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4. Predict how an atom will change if it gains or loses neutrons. ________________________
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5. Predict how an atom will stay the same if it gains or loses neutrons. ____________________
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Elements are pure substances that are made up of one kind of atom. Pizza is not an element
because it is a mixture of many substances. Water is a pure substance, but it contains two
different kinds of atoms: oxygen and hydrogen. Iron is an element because it is composed of
one kind of atom.
Gizmo Warm-up
Atoms are tiny particles of matter that are made up of
three particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. The
Element Builder Gizmo™ shows an atom with a single
proton. The proton is located in the center of the atom,
called the nucleus.
1. Use the arrow buttons ( ) to add protons, neutrons,
and electrons to the atom. Press Play (
).
A. Which particles are located in the nucleus?
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B. Which particles orbit around the nucleus?
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2. Turn on Show element name. What particle causes the element name to change?
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Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
Isotopes
 Use the arrows to create an atom with two protons,
two neutrons, and two electrons.
 Turn on Show element name.
Question: What are the properties of protons, neutrons, and electrons?
1. Observe: Turn on Show element symbol and Element
notation. Three numbers surround the element symbol: the
mass number (4), electrical charge (no number is displayed if
the atom is neutral), and the atomic number (2).
2. Investigate: Watch how the numbers change as you add or
remove particles.
A. Which number is equal to the number of protons in the atom? __________________
B. How can you calculate the number of neutrons in an atom? ____________________
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3. Analyze: An isotope is an atom that has gained or lost neutrons. You are going to use the
Gizmo to investigate how an atom changes and stays the same when it forms an isotope.
A. Set up your Gizmo to look like a Bohr model for Lithium (Li). Record the:
# of p+ _______
# of n ________
# of e- ________
B. Click on the show element name, show element symbol, and element notation boxes
to check your Bohr model.
What is the atomic number? _________ What is the mass? ___________
Does this match the information on your Periodic Table? __________
If no, fix the Gizmo so your model is correct. If yes, move on to the next step.
C. Remove a neutron from the model.
Record the: # of p+ _______
# of n ________
# of e- ________
What is the atomic number? _________ What is the mass? ___________
What are TWO things that changed about the atom after it lost a neutron? ________
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What are FIVE things that stayed the same after the atom lost its neutron? _______
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D. Set up your Gizmo to look like a Bohr model for Oxygen (O). Record the:
# of p+ _______
# of n ________
# of e- ________
E. Click on the show element name, show element symbol, and element notation boxes to
check your Bohr model.
What is the atomic number? _________ What is the mass? ___________
Does this match the information on your Periodic Table? __________
If no, fix the Gizmo so your model is correct. If yes, move on to the next step.
F. Add two neutrons to the model.
Record the: # of p+ _______
# of n ________
# of e- ________
What is the atomic number? _________ What is the mass? ___________
What are TWO things that changed about the atom after it lost a neutron? ________
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What are FIVE things that stayed the same after the atom lost a neutron? ________
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4. Conclude: We use the atomic symbol to represent an atom. For an isotope, we use the
atomic symbol followed by a hyphen and the new mass number.
For example: The element Boron is B, and the isotope of Boron is B-10.
A. Write the isotope notation for the isotope of Lithium that you formed. ________________
B. In three steps, write how you could you use this notation to complete a particle inventory
for the isotope.
Step 1: _______________________________________________________________
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Step 2: _______________________________________________________________
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Step 3: _______________________________________________________________
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C. Using your steps, what is the particle inventory for the Lithium isotope?
p+:_______, e-: ________, n: _______
D. Write the isotope notation for the isotope of Oxygen that you formed. _______________
E. Using your steps, what is the particle inventory for the Oxygen isotope?
p+:_______, e-: ________, n: _______
F. How does your prediction in #4 and #5 on page 1 differ from the actual differences and
similarities between an atom and its isotopes (C and F on Pgs. 3-4)?
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