Principal Sponsors
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National Science Foundation
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King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
Build an Atom
Build an atom out of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and see how the element, charge, and mass change. Then play a game to test your ideas!
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Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Atomic Structure
- Atoms
Sample Learning Goals
- Use the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons to draw a model of the atom, identify the element, and determine the mass and charge.
- Predict how addition or subtraction of a proton, neutron, or electron will change the element, the charge, and the mass.
- Use the element name, mass, and charge to determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- Define proton, neutron, electron, atom, and ion.
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Build an Atom - Clicker Questions
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Yuen-ying Carpenter, Robert Parson, Trish Loeblein | UG-Intro | CQs | 11/5/14 |
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Build an Atom - Guided-Inquiry Activity
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Timothy Herzog, Emily Moore | UG-Intro | Other | 11/5/14 |
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What is an atom?
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Shari Dunham | HS UG-Intro |
Other | 8/25/14 |
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Build an Atom
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Emily Moore, Ariel Paul, Trish Loeblein, Kathy Perkins | MS | HW Other Lab |
2/7/14 |
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Build an Atom
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UTeach Middle School PhET Team | MS | Lab | 6/22/12 |
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Build an Atom - Inquiry-based basics (homework version)
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Trish Loeblein, Kath Perkins | UG-Intro HS |
HW | 8/28/13 |
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Structure of the Atom
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Jackie Esler | MS | Lab | 1/10/12 |
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Build an Atom: Introduction
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Trish Loeblein, Kathy Perkins | HS MS |
Demo Lab |
8/28/13 |
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Concept Questions for Chemistry using PhET
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Trish Loeblein | HS MS UG-Intro |
CQs | 7/9/13 |
| Online Quiz for Build An Atom | Kim Miller | MS | Other | 2/18/15 |
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PhET Sims Aligned to the Chemistry Curriculum
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Julia Chamberlain | UG-Intro HS |
Other | 7/15/14 |
| NGSS Simulation Alignment/Correlation | Matthew Huffine | HS MS K-5 UG-Intro |
Demo | 5/29/14 |
| Construim un àtom | Bellés,Folch,Font,Montaña,Olivella,Pont,Vilajosana,Rovira,Serra,Torra | MS | Lab | 10/31/13 |
| Build an Atom, Isotope, & Ion | Robin Beavers | HS | Lab HW CQs |
8/23/13 |
| 원자 만들기 SIM 사용지침서 | 이화국(Wha Kuk Lee) | MS HS |
Demo Lab |
5/17/13 |
| Chemical Compounds and Subscripts | David Streib | MS HS |
CQs | 12/1/12 |
| Build an Ion Inquiry Activity | Paul Broberg | HS MS |
CQs HW Lab |
11/13/12 |
| Atom Builder | Sarah Stanhope | HS MS |
Lab | 1/27/11 |
| The Peninsula of Nuclear Stability | Roberto Marrero | HS | HW | 11/27/10 |
| Build an Atom PhET Lab | Chris Bires | MS HS |
Lab | 11/4/13 |
| Bouw van een atoom | Julina | HS | Demo | 11/10/14 |
| Bienvenue au CFA | Bernard Lacour | Other | Other | 3/30/11 |
| COSTRUIAMO L'ATOMO | DAL MAS NICOLETTA | MS | Lab | 10/9/14 |
| Construyendo algunos átomos | Félix A. Gutiérrez Múzquiz | MS | Demo | 11/6/14 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Related Simulations
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
|---|---|---|
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Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later
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OS 10.5 or later Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later
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Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later
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Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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