Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781305960961
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 6, Problem 1RQ
To determine

The reason due to which atoms are mostly empty space.

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The atoms are mostly empty space mainly because of their composition. The atomic nucleus consists of proton and neutron, where both are very close to each other. The nucleus of this model atom is surrounded by a whirling cloud of orbiting electrons. Each orbit of electron and each orbiting electron has some space in between them. The mass of proton and neutron is very-very large compared to the mass of the electron, so most of the mass of atom lies in the nucleus and thus, the atom is mostly empty space.

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