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Saturday, September 6, 2025

NIOS Class 10 (212) Atomic Structure Questions Answers

This chapter is from Module 2 Matter in Our Surroundings. This post provides you complete answer of all intext and terminal questions given in Chapter 5- Atomic Structure.

NIOS Class 10 Science and Technology Chapter 5 Questions Answers


Our experienced teachers have provided easy and accurate answers to all questions that will help you complete your assignments. You can also solve the worksheet 5 on the basis of these solutions.


Atomic Structure - Overview

In this lesson on chemical reactions and equations form NIOS class 10 Science, students will gain a basic understanding of how chemical change occur and they will able to write and balance chemical equations. This lesson also classifies chemical reactions into different types.

 

Intext Questions 5.1 with Answers


Q1. Name two charged particles which constitute all matter.

Answer

 All matters are constituted of two charged particles-

1. Electrons (negatively charged particle)

2. Proton (positively charged particle)


Q2. Describe a cathode ray tube.

Answer

A cathode ray tube is a sealed glass tube from which the air is removed. It has two electrodes- (i) cathode (negative) (ii) anode (positive).

When a high voltage is passed through the electrodes, a beam of negatively charged particles emits from cathode to anode. This beam is called cathode rays.

 

Q3. Name the negatively charged particles emitted from the cathode in the cathode ray tube?

Answer

Electron


Q4. Why do the canal rays obtained by using different gases have different e/m values?

Answer

The canal rays are positively charged particles (protons). These are formed from atoms of the gas present in the tube. Different gases consist of different types of atoms and the mass of positive ions is also different. The e/m ratio depends on both the charge and mass of the particles. So different gases produce canal rays with different e/m values.


Intext Questions 5.2 with Answers


Q1. Describe Thomson’s model of atom. What is it called?

Answer

Thomson’s model of an atom is known as ‘Plum Pudding Model’ or watermelon model. According to this model-

1.An atom is a positively charged sphere in which negatively charged electrons are embedded in it like seeds in watermelon or plum in pudding.

2.Electrons do not move inside the atom.


Q2. What would have been observed in the α-ray scattering experiment if the Thomson’s model was correct?

Answer

If the Thomson’s model was correct, then

   1. The alpha particles should have passed straight through the atom.

   2.  No significant deflection of alpha particles would have been observed.


Q3. Who performed the α-ray scattering experiment and what were the observation?

Answer

The alpha ray scattering experiment was performed Geiger and Marsden.

Observations

1. Most of the alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil.

2.A few particles were deflected at small angles.

3.Very few (about 1 in 20,000) were deflected back at angles greater than 90º almost rebounded.


Q4. Describe the model of atom proposed by Rutherford.

Answer

    1. An atom contains a dense and positively charged region in the centre, it was called as ‘nucleus’.

    2. All the positive charge of an atom and most of its mas was contained in the nucleus.

    3. The size of the nucleus is very small compared to the size of the atom.

    4. Most of the atom is empty space.

    5. Electrons revolve around the nucleus in circular path called orbits.


Intext Questions 5.3 with Answers


Q1. Give any two drawbacks of Rutherford’s model of atom.

Answer

These are the drawback of Rutherford’s model of atom-

1.An electron revolving in a circular orbit around the nucleus should lose energy and eventually fall into the nucleus. But this does not happen, so the model failed to explain atomic stability.

2.This model could not explain the distribution of electrons.

3.This model could not explain the relationship between atomic mass and atomic number.


Q2. State the postulates of Bohr’s model.

Answer

The main postulates of Bohr’s model of the atom are-

1. Electrons revolve around the nucleus in fixed circular orbits, called energy levels or shells.

2. Electrons do not radiate energy while moving in a particular orbit.

3. An electron absorbs or emits energy when it jump from one energy level to another.

4. The energy levels are denoted by integers n=1,2,3.. or letters K ,L,M,N…..


Q3. How does Bohr model of an atom explain the stability of the atom?

Answer

Bohr explains electrons do not radiate energy when revolving in a particular path. So, the atom remains stable.


Intext Questions 5.4 with Answers


Q1. What is a neutron and where is it located in the atom?

Answer

A neutron is a subatomic particle located in the nucleus of the atom.


Q2. How many neutrons are present in the α particle?

Answer

 The α particle contains two neutrons.


Q3. How will you distinguish between an electron and proton?

Answer

Property

Electron

Proton

Charge

Negative

Positive

Mass

Very small (1/1836 of mass of proton)

Relatively heavy

Location in atom

Revolve around the nucleus

Located in the nucleus

Symbol

e-

P+

 

 

Intext Questions 5.5 with Answers


Q1. A sodium atom has an atomic number of 11 and mass number 23. Calculate the number of protons, electrons and neutrons in a sodium atom.

Answer

Given

 Atomic number(Z) =11

Mass number (A) =23


Solution

Number of protons = atomic number =11

Number of electrons = number of protons (in neutral atom) =11

Number of neutrons = mass number – atomic number =23-11=12

 So,

Number of protons =11

Number of electrons =11

 Number of neutrons =23

 

Q2. What is the mass number of an atom which has 7 protons and 8 neutrons?

Answer

Given

Protons = 7

Neutrons = 8

Solution

Mass number(A)= protons + neutrons = 7+8=15

So mass number =15

 

Q3. Calculate the number of electrons, protons and neutrons in   and .

Answer

 Given

   - Atomic number(Z)= 18 and Mass number(A) =40


Solution

Number of protons = atomic number = 18

Number of electrons = Number of protons=18

Number of neutrons = Mass number – atomic number = 40-18=22

So,

Number of protons = 18

Number of electrons =18

Number of neutrons= 22

 

Given

 – Atomic number(Z)= 19 and Mass number(A)=40

Solution

Number of protons = atomic number = 19

Number of electrons = Number of protons=19

Number of neutrons = Mass number – atomic number = 40-19 =21

So,

Number of protons = 19

Number of electrons =19

Number of neutrons= 21


Intext Questions 5.6 with Answers


Q1. How many shells are occupied in the nitrogen (atomic number =7) atom?

Answer

Atomic number of Nitrogen =7

Electronic configuration = 2,5

 So, 2 electrons in K shell and 5 electrons in L shell

Therefore, two shell are occupied in the nitrogen atom.

 

Q2. Name the element which has completely filled first shell.

Answer

Helium (He)


Q3. Write the electronic configuration of an element having atomic number equal to 11.

Answer

Electronic configuration of an element having atomic number 11 is 2,8,1


Terminal Exercise Questions with Answers


Q1. How did J.J. Thomson discover the electron? Explain his “Plum pudding” model of the atom.

Answer

Discovery of electrons

 J.J. Thomson used a sealed glass tube with low pressure and two electrodes- cathode and anode. When he applied high voltage to electrodes.

 Rays were emitted from the cathode and moved towards anode; these rays were called cathode rays.

 Thomson concluded that cathode rays are made up of negatively charged particles and he named them, “electrons”.


Plum Pudding Model of the Atom

According this model:

   1. An atom is a positively charged sphere.

   2. Negatively charged electrons are embedded in the sphere like plums in a pudding of seeds in a watermelon.

   3. The total positive and negative charges are equal so the atom is neutral.

 

Q2. What made Thomson conclude that all atoms must contain electrons?

Answer

Thomson observed that cathode rays were made up of electrons (negatively charged particles). He also observed that nature of cathode rays was the same irrespective of the metal or the gas used in the cathode ray tube. So, Thomson concluded that all atoms must contain electrons.


Q3. Identify the following subatomic particles:

(a)       The number of these in the nucleus is equal to the atomic number.

(b)      The particle that is not found in the nucleus.

(c)       The particle that has no electrical charge.

(d)      The particle that has a much lower mass than the other subatomic particles.

Answer

(a)       Protons

(b)      Electrons

(c)       Neutrons

(d)      Electrons


Q4. Which of the following are usually found in the nucleus of an atom?

(a)       Protons and neutrons only

(b)      Protons, neutrons and electrons

(c)       Neutrons only

(d)      Electrons and neutrons only

Answer

(a)       Protons and neutrons only


Q5. Describe Ernest Rutherford’s experiment with alpha particles and gold foil. How did this lead to the discovery of the nucleus?

 Answer

 Rutherford’s  Î± ray scattering experiment

 Rutherford and his assistants performed an experiment in which they placed a thin gold foil(about 1000 atoms thick) surrounded by a screen coated with zinc sulphide. When α particles were bombarded on the gold foil, they produced flashes of light.

 On the basis of this experiment, they observed –

   1.  Most alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil without deflection.

   2. Some alpha particles deflected at small angles.

   3.  A very few (about 1in 12000 particles) particles bounced back.


Discovery of Nucleus

The alpha Particles are positively charged particles and very few alpha particles bounced back. On the basis of this observation Rutherford concluded that-

    1. An atom contains a dense and positively charged region located at the Centre of an atoms, it was called nucleus.

   2. Most of the mass is contained in the nucleus.

 

Q6. What does the atomic number tell us about an atom?

Answer

The atomic number of an atom tells us the number of protons present in the nucleus of that atom.


Q7. What is the relationship between the numbers of electrons and protons in an atom?

Answer

In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons.

protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged particles.

So, total positive charge must balance the total negative charge in a neutral atom.

 

Q8. How did Neils Bohr revise Rutherford’ atomic model?

Answer

Basically, Bohr revised instability of atom, a drawback of Rutherford’s model.

    1. Bohr proposed that electrons revolve around the nucleus in specific circular orbits called energy levels or shells.

    2. Each orbit or shell has a fixed energy so electrons in these orbits do not radiate energy.

   3. Electrons absorb or emit energy when they jump between two energy levels.

 So, electrons do not fall into nucleus.

 

 Q9. What is understood by a stationary state?

Answer

The electron does not radiate energy when moving in particular orbit. These orbits are called stationary state.

 

Q10. What is a shell? How many electrons can be accommodated in L -shell?

Answer

A shell is a fixed energy level around the nucleus of an atom where electrons revolve. These shells are denoted by the letters K, L, M, N…. Or numbers n= 1,2,3….

Numbers of electrons in L- shell

 The L -shell is the second shell (n=2)

2n2 = 2(2)2

2× 4= 8

The L-shell can hold maximum 8 electrons.

 

Q11. State the rules for writing the electronic configuration of elements.

Answer

1.  The shells or energy levels are represented by K, L, M, N.. or N=1,2,3…..

2. Electrons are distributed first in the low energy level then in the high level.

3.  Maximum numbers of electrons in each shell must follow 2n2 where ‘n’ is the number of shells

    

Shell

Symbol

   N

Max electrons (2n2)

1st

K

1

2

2nd

L

2

8

3rd

M

3

18

4th

N

4

32

 

4. Electrons are filled in a new shell only when the previous shell is completely filled.

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