Atomic structure - Intro

Everything else in GCSE Chemistry is about what atoms do, so the course starts by opening one up. What's inside it, how big it is, how two atoms of the same element can differ, and how anybody ever found any of it out. This is Atomic structure, the first chapter of GCSE Chemistry. The next twenty chapters lean on the seven ideas in this one.

Right, here's the whole chapter laid out on your screen, plus a couple of things worth knowing before you start the first video.

It starts by telling atoms, elements and compounds apart, and then opens the atom up to its protons, neutrons and electrons. Next comes how big an atom actually is, then the atomic number, mass number and isotopes that tell one atom from another. After that comes working out a relative atomic mass from isotopic abundances, then how the electrons are arranged for the first twenty elements. And it finishes with the story of how the model of the atom changed. Foundation or Higher, on any exam board, every video in this chapter applies to you.

One thing about labels, just for this chapter: later videos are sometimes marked triple, for separate chemistry only, or Higher, for the higher tier. Nothing here carries either label, so every video in this chapter is for everybody.

One practical thing first: every video here carries its own short, searchable code, sitting right beside its title. Take Atomic number, mass number and isotopes. Search ScholaFly C H oh one, oh four - and that exact video comes straight up.

The other trick is the thumbs-up sitting on each video. Once something has properly landed for you, tap it, and that video marks itself as nailed. Anything left without a thumbs-up, naturally, becomes your revision list. If something hasn't clicked yet, save it to a playlist instead, because most of this settles on a second watch, not the first. And my commitment to you is this: if I've not done a great job teaching something and it's confusing, leave a comment, and I'll have a crack at making a better video.

Next in the chapter is Atoms, elements and compounds, the first step on the way inside the atom. Hopefully that's next in your feed - but if not, search for ScholaFly C H oh one, oh one.

For more, visit scholafly.com, or watch the next video.