CLARITY | CONFIDENCE | CURIOSITY
Atomic Structure
Explore atoms, isotopes and radiation, including radioactive decay, half-life and nuclear processes.
Lessons
Explore the lessons below to build your knowledge and confidence across this topic. Each lesson breaks the physics down into clear, manageable steps, with explanations, practice and exam-focused activities to help you understand the key ideas and apply them successfully.
Inside the Atom
01
Explore subatomic particle charges, masses and locations and a neutral atom’s structure.
Atomic and Mass Number
02
Explore atomic number and mass number and proton, neutron and electron numbers.
Isotopes and Ions
03
Explore isotopes and ions and electron loss or gain.
Development of the Atomic Model
04
Explore the sequence of atomic models and bohr’s and chadwick’s contributions.
Radioactive Decay
05
Explore unstable nuclei and activity and spontaneous radioactive decay.
Alpha, Beta and Gamma Radiation
06
Explore alpha, beta and gamma properties and penetration, range and ionisation.
Nuclear Equations
07
Explore mass and atomic-number conservation and alpha and beta nuclear equations.
Half-Life
08
Explore half-life and random decay and remaining activity or fraction.
Activity and Count Rate
09
Explore activity and detector count rate and background-corrected count rate.
Radiation Contamination
10
Explore irradiation and contamination and precautions against each hazard.