Bear in mind that there is a considerable difference between the size of a hydrogen atom and a uranium atom. Atoms are not all the same size. But in general they are in the one to five angstrom range (an angstrom being a tenth of a nanometer; a nanometer being a billionth (10^-9) of a meter).
Chat with our AI personalities
The diameter of an average atomic nucleus is on the order of 10^-15 meters, which is very small compared to the overall size of an atom. This small size is due to the high density of protons and neutrons packed within the nucleus.
There is no average diameter of an atom per se because each atom varies in size due to the number of electrons in its shell, as well as which shell is its valence cell. There is an average diameter of an atom given which shell its valence shell is, however, and that is about 1 x 10^-10 meter. On an accurate scale, imagine a football stadium with a ball in the centre lines and peas on the furthest seats in the stand. The peas are electrons and the ball is the nucleus.
The smallest and lightest nucleus, that of hydrogen, has a diameter of about 1.75 quadrillionths of a meter. The nucleus of a heavy atom such as uranium has a diameter of about 15 quadrillionths of a meter. To express a meaningful average, we would have to know which collection of atoms you have in mind: the human body? the earth's crust? the entire earth? the entire solar system? the entire Milky Way galaxy? Generally there will be many more lighter atoms than heavier ones, so in many cases the average will be closer to the lower end of the range of 1.75 to 15 quadrillionths of a meter.
Atomic diameters range from roughly 0.6 x 10-10 m for helium to about 6.0 x 10-10 m for Cesium. Exact reported values depend on the method of measuring and calculating.
Note: 10-10 m is 1 Angstrom.
The approximate diameter of an atom is different for each element: from 50 pm to 520 pm (with the empirical covalent radius).
The diameter of a nucleus can vary depending on the type of cell it belongs to. On average, the diameter of a cell nucleus is about 5-10 micrometers. However, in some larger cells or under certain conditions, the nucleus can be larger.
The average diameter of a copper atom is approximately 0.255 nanometers.
The root mean square (rms) radius is important in atomic physics because it provides a measure of the average size of an atomic nucleus. It helps scientists understand the distribution of charge within the nucleus and is crucial for studying nuclear structure and properties.
An atom of aluminum has 13 electrons surrounding its nucleus.
No, the mass number is not the same as the atomic mass. The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus, while the atomic mass is the average mass of all the isotopes of an element, taking into account their abundance.