Inside the Atom

This is a simple diagram of an atom.
Blue:  Proton
Purple: Neutron
Green:  Electron

In order to understand how our universe works, we need to understand how the fundamental building blocks of everything work.

Atoms, from the Greek word 'Atomos', is the smallest unit of matter.

Every state of matter- Solid, Liquid, Gas or Plasma- consists of millions of atoms.

Every atom consists of three 'subatomic' particles: Protons, Neutrons and Electron - remember the names of these!

In the center of the atom, we have the Nucleus which consists of  Protons and Neutrons.

REMEMBER - The number of Protons, Neutrons and Electrons depends on the type of atom it is.
For example, a Hydrogen atoms has one of each subatomic particle and Iron has twenty six of each.

Orbiting the Nucleus (which is completely different from the type of Nucleus that you'd find in a cell), is the Electron.

Each subatomic particle has a different charge:

• The Proton has a positive charge (P+)
• The Neutron has no charge
• The electron has a negative charge (E-)
  
  

The number of Protons in an atom is always equal to the number of Electrons - making the overall charge of the atom neutral.

So, those are the basics of the atom.


Electron Configuration

Atoms all have a number of "shells" that orbit the Nucleus of an atom which are where Electrons can be found.

The first shell of the atom can hold a total of two electrons.
The second shell can hold a total of eight electrons.
The third shell can hold up to eighteen electrons.

A Carbon atom, with electron configuration: 2 , 4

Covalent Bonding

Did you know that Atoms can bond with each other in ways to give them a full outer shell of Electrons?
Take water, for example- H20.

Water contains two Hydrogen atoms which have only one Electron on the outer shell- they want to gain one Electron to have a full shell of two.

Water also contains one Oxygen atom that has a full first shell of two electrons and an outer shell of six electrons.
In order for it to have a full outer shell of eight electrons, it needs to gain two.

A Water molecule with Oxygen in the middle with a Hydrogen either side. 

So that's the end of this blog.

I hope that you found the information here very informative.

Please comment and Share.

-Ryan Titmuss

The Big Freeze

So, there are three popular theories as to how the Universe will end.

These theories include "The Big Crunch"- which is the theory that suggests that the Universe will succumb to the power of its own gravity and will ping back into the infinitely small point from which it started, thirteen and a half billion years ago.
From The Big Crunch, another Big Bang will happen.
This theory goes by the rule, "what goes up, must come down".

The second theory is known as "The Big Rip" which says that the Universe will continue to expand until everything- right down to atoms and subatomic particles- will be torn to shreds.

The Big Crunch theory has been considered the least likely fate of the Universe since the discovery
of "Dark Energy".
This Dark Energy seems to be accelerating the expansion of the Universe at an incredible rate, implying that it is more likely that the Universe will continue to expand forever- which brings me on to "The Big Freeze".



The Big Freeze theory says that the Universe will continue to expand forever, until it becomes a very cold and lonely place.
It will become so cold, however, that new stars cannot be born and so the stars that exist at the time of the Big Freeze are the very last ones.

These stars will then die, explode in supernovas and many will become Black Holes.
The Universe will, therefore, be a racetrack with Black Holes racing around, everywhere.
They will then suck in the remaining stars and planets.

Surprisingly, Black Holes - after a while - can actually disappear.
As a result of this, the Universe will become a dark and lonely void - with maybe the odd frozen rock here and there.







Thanks for reading.
If you like what you have read, please leave a comment and Share.





- Ryan Titmuss

Five Unbelivable Phenomena Found in our Universe

So, the Universe is a very strange place.

In fact, some things are just so weird and spectacular that we are mind blown whenever we think about them.

Be prepared to be mindblown because here are Five Unbelievable Phenomena Found in our Universe.

Number 5: Quasars

Quasars are the brightest things that we have ever observed.

Most scientists believe that these objects produce one hundred times more energy than our ENTIRE galaxy.

And these untold quantities of energy are coming from an area- smaller than our solar system!
These frightening objects can light up our night sky from billions of light years away.
The most shocking part of it is, we don't have a clue what these things are.
They're not stars, so what are they?
Spooky!




Number 4: Gamma-Ray Bursts

Gamma Ray Bursts are random, intense flashes of Gamma Rays that we have seen from distant galaxies.
They are among the greatest explosions of energy that we have observed.
The worrying part is, they can happen at any time and they are common in the universe.
If a Gamma Ray Burst was to occur in our Milky Way, our Ozone Layer would boil- leading the the demolition of all life on Earth!
Sweet dreams!




Number 3: Black Holes

After a supernova (the explosion of a huge star), a star may collapse under its own gravity.
The star would become extremely dense and its gravity, massive.
The gravity becomes so great, however, that anything (including light) would be trapped in and would never escape.
We can't see black holes (hence "black") because light can't escape from it.

Most people believe that black holes are everywhere in our galaxy.
Let's hope that one doesn't stumble into our solar system!




Number 2: The "Wow!" Signal

The Wow Signal was detected in August of 1977 and remains the best evidence of Alien contact.
It lasted for approximately 72 seconds, and we have never heard it again.
We still don't know from what, or who, this mysterious signal came from.
However, we do know that it came from the constellation, "Sagittarius".




Number 1: Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) is one of the best pieces of evidence that our universe started in a Big Bang.
Everywhere we look in the Universe, we detect and hear Microwave signals that are constant and do not fade or amplify.
This type of radiation could only of been created in a huge explosion, a big bang.
To some, this is conclusive evidence that everything around us started in a point that was 10(-35) times smaller than a proton.






These are just five of the amazing phenomena that we have found in our Universe.



Thanks for reading.
If you like what you have read, please comment and Share.


Next time I will be writing about the Big Freeze- the most likely fate of our Universe.







-Ryan Titmuss

Nuclear Fusion

Have you ever wondered just what on Earth is happening in the Sun?

It turns out that our Sun, like every other star in the universe, is a factory.

A factory where elements such as Iron (Fe), Carbon (C),  Helium (He) an Gold (Au) are made.

To understand how stars make these elements, we need to look at something called Nuclear Fusion.

So, on the surface of the Sun there is mostly Hydrogen (H)- which is the lightest element that we know of.

Hydrogen is fairly simple. It's nucleus has: one proton and one neutron- with one electron orbiting.

Under extreme pressure and extreme temperature, conditions found in stars, the nuclei in the Hydrogen atoms join- forming a heavier element, Helium.
Extreme pressure is needed for this Nuclear Fusion to take place, because the positive nuclei in the Hydrogen atoms repel each other- like when two "like" poles of magnets meet.

When Hydrogen and Hydrogen fuse, Helium is the result- with two protons, two neutrons and two electrons.
As Helium is heavier than Hydrogen, it sinks further into the star.

More Nuclear Fusion happens, and elements like Carbon are made.

At the center of every star, is a core of Iron.
Now, this is a problem because Iron does NOT fuse in the conditions found inside a star and so over time, Iron builds up in the center of the star.
This keeps happening until eventually, the nuclear fuel inside of the star runs out and the star starts to expand into a red 'super giant'.
The star will then collapse under its own gravity and it will explode in a brilliant supernova.

Should a Supernova happen, heavier elements than Iron are made like Platinum and Gold.
So if you happen to have a necklace that is made of Gold, know that it was made inside a dying star.

Unfortunately, Supernovas are almost always the result of the death of big, big stars.
Stars that are hundreds of times bigger than our Sun, and so it is likely that our own Star will never make elements such as Gold and Platinum- it will expand, become a white dwarf and shrink to a black dwarf.
Depressing!




Thanks for reading.
If you think that what you've read is interesting, please comment and Share.




Next, I will be posting "Five Unbelievable Phenomena Found in our Universe".










-Ryan Titmuss