Atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The protons and the neutrons make up the nucleus (the center) of the atom. The electron lives outside the nucleus in an electron cloud and are way too small to see. Protons and neutrons are made up of smaller little particles, which are made of smaller little particles and so on. Atoms can have anywhere from only one proton and one electron (a hydrogen atom) to over 300 protons, neutrons and electrons in one atom. It is the number of protons that determines the kind of atom an atom is, or in other words, the kind of element that atom is. How many protons does Zinc have?
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