Nucleus

created my elisabeth mcdonnell

Main Idea

The nucleus is the small, dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. This nucleus accounts for most (if not all) of the weight in an atom but only a small fraction of its volume. This nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons densely smushed together, and surroudning this dense mass is a space which electrons float and orbit in. The nucleus is particularly critical in identifying elements, which are identified by the number of protons in the nucleus.