Arrange the following atoms in order of increasing size from smallest to largest.
Phosphorus
Fluorine
Chlorine
Sulfur
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND
Arranging the atoms in order of increasing size from smallest to largest:
Fluorine < Chlorine < Phosphorus < Sulfur
To arrange the given atoms in order of increasing size, we need to refer to the periodic table. The periodic table provides information about the atomic radius of each element, which is a measure of the size of the atom.
Let's start by looking at the atomic number of each atom. Atomic number represents the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom and is also the number that determines the atom's position in the periodic table.
The atomic number of the given elements is as follows:
Phosphorus (P) - Atomic number 15
Fluorine (F) - Atomic number 9
Chlorine (Cl) - Atomic number 17
Sulfur (S) - Atomic number 16
Now, let's compare the atomic numbers. The higher the atomic number, the larger the atom tends to be.
From the given elements, we can see that Fluorine has the lowest atomic number (9), indicating that it is the smallest atom. Chlorine has an atomic number of 17, which is higher than Fluorine, suggesting that it is larger. Moving further, Sulfur has an atomic number of 16, which is smaller than Chlorine but larger than Fluorine. Finally, Phosphorus has an atomic number of 15, indicating that it is the largest atom among the given elements.
Therefore, the arrangement of the atoms in order of increasing size from smallest to largest is as follows:
Fluorine < Chlorine < Sulfur < Phosphorus