Complex : Part Reality and Part Imagination: October 2009

Water has H2O meaning 2 molecules of hydrogen for every atom of Oxygen. If you break the hydrogen molecules, we get 2 atoms of hydrogen.
Gases like halium are composed of atoms as the structural unit and not molecules.

Some examples of elements that can be found on the periodic table are hydrogen, helium, oxygen, iron, copper, gold, aluminum, uranium.

An atom is the smallest particle of any element that still retains the characteristics of that element. However, atoms consist of even smaller particles. Atoms consist of a central, dense nucleus that is surrounded by one or more lightweight negatively charged particles called electrons. The nucleus is made up of positively charged particles called protons and neutrons which are neutral. An atom is held together by forces of attraction between the electrons and the protons. The neutrons help to hold the protons together. Protons and neutrons are believed to be made up of even smaller particles called quarks.
Electrons have a negative electrostatic charge and protons have a positive electrostatic charge.
A good way to remember what charge protons have is to remember both proton and positive charge start with "P."
Like charges repel, unlike charges attract, just like with magnets.
Atoms have their electrons arranged in layers called shells.
In order to maintain electrical balance the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons in most elements.

In the copper atom's outside shell has only one electron. This represents that the copper atom has one electron that is near the outer portion of the atom. The outer shell of any atom is called the valence shell. When the valence electron in any atom gains sufficient energy from some outside force, it can break away from the parent atom and become what is called a free electron.

Atoms with few electrons in their valence shell tend to have more free electrons since these valence electrons are more loosely bound to the nucleus. In some materials like copper, the electrons are so loosely held by the atom and so close to the neighboring atoms that it is difficult to determine which electron belongs to which atom. Under these conditions, the valence or free electrons tend to drift randomly from one atom to its neighboring atoms. Under normal conditions the movement of the electrons is truly random, meaning they are moving in all directions by the same amount. However, if some outside force acts upon the material, this flow of electrons can be directed through materials and this flow is called electrical current. Materials that have free electrons and allow electrical current to flow easily are called conductors. Many materials do not have any free electrons. Because of this fact, they do not tend to share their electrons very easily and do not make good conductors of electrical currents. These materials are called insulators.
Electricity is a word used to describe the directional flow of electrons between atoms.
The directional movement of electrons between atoms is called electrical current.

It is very important to have a way to measure and quantify the flow of electrical current. When current flow is controlled it can be used to do useful work. Electricity can be very dangerous and it is important to know something about it in order to work with it safely. The flow of electrons is measured in units called amperes. The term amps is often used for short. An amp is the amount of electrical current that exists when a number of electrons, having one coulomb (ku`-lum) of charge, move past a given point in one second. A coulomb is the charge carried by 6.25 x 10^18 electrons. 6.25 x 10^18 is scientific notation for 6,250,000,000,000,000,000. That is a lot of electrons moving past a given point in one second!

Ohm's Law is used to describe the mathematical relationship between voltage, current, and resistance.

OHM'S LAW

I = V/R,

I = current, V = voltage, and R = resistance

*Depending on what you are trying to solve we can rearrange it two other ways.

V = I x R

R = V/I

*All of these variations of Ohm’s Law are mathematically equal to one another

Complex : Part Reality and Part Imagination