What is atomic radius?
Q: What is atomic radius?
A: Atomic radius is the distance between the nucleus and the edge of the electron cloud.
Q: Why is it hard to define atomic radius?
A: It is because it is impossible to know where all of the electrons are at a given time.
Q: How does atomic radius vary when you move down a group in the periodic table?
A: Atomic radius tends to increase as you move down a group because the number of electrons is greater, and so the radius of the circle of electrons in the element is bigger.
Q: Why does atomic radius tend to decrease as you move to the right across a period?
A: Atomic radius tends to decrease due to the shielding effect.
Q: What is the shielding effect?
A: The shielding effect is the ability of inner electrons to partially shield outer electrons from the attraction of the positively charged atomic nucleus.
Q: Which direction does atomic radius tend to increase in the periodic table?
A: Atomic radius tends to increase as you move down a group in the periodic table.
Q: Which direction does atomic radius tend to decrease in the periodic table?
A: Atomic radius tends to decrease as you move to the right across a period in the periodic table.
