- #1
karen03grae
- 79
- 0
Guess I'll be flippin' burgers for the rest of my life guys... I can't figure out the difference between elements and atoms! I've searched the internet and wrote down their definitions and I e-mailed my prof. Here is how he explained it:
> Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of matter and differ from
> each other in the number of protons (different elments) and numbers of
> neutrons (isotopes of an element). The term atoms is used to discuss
> how many atoms of an element we have, or to talk about particles of
> matter in general without discussing the identity of the atoms
> (elements). The term element is used to differentiate between atoms,
> ie, the compound contains 3 different elements.
Maybe 'element' is just a general term for all atoms with the same # of protons. I'm looking for a GOOD definition here.
Why could we not just call every symbol on the periodic table an atom with a different atomic #?
> Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of matter and differ from
> each other in the number of protons (different elments) and numbers of
> neutrons (isotopes of an element). The term atoms is used to discuss
> how many atoms of an element we have, or to talk about particles of
> matter in general without discussing the identity of the atoms
> (elements). The term element is used to differentiate between atoms,
> ie, the compound contains 3 different elements.
Maybe 'element' is just a general term for all atoms with the same # of protons. I'm looking for a GOOD definition here.
Why could we not just call every symbol on the periodic table an atom with a different atomic #?