Part of GED® Science: Physical Science
GED® Science: Atoms, Elements & the Periodic Table (Deep Dive)
A deep dive into the building blocks of matter, expanding the single 'Atoms, Elements & the Periodic Table' lesson from the GED® Physical Science course into a full mini-course. You'll explore the structure of the atom, learn to read an element box and count protons, neutrons, and electrons, see how electrons fill shells, understand how the periodic table is organized, and tell elements from compounds and ions from isotopes. Plain language, all-new labeled diagrams, common-misconception warnings, and GED®-style practice with full explanations.
📚 Course Curriculum
Everything is made of atoms — and atoms are made of three smaller particles. Knowing their charges and locations unlocks most chemistry questions. [[figure:atom_anatomy Protons …
Open trial session →Each element has a box on the periodic table packed with information. Two numbers do most of the work. [[figure:atomic_number_mass The atomic number gives the …
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Electrons aren't scattered randomly — they occupy shells, or energy levels, around the nucleus. The simple Bohr model pictures these as rings. [[figure:bohr_models Electrons fill …
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The periodic table isn't a random chart — it's a brilliant filing system. Elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number (number of protons), …
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Atoms combine to make the huge variety of substances around us. Three words keep it straight. [[figure:element_vs_compound An element is one kind of atom; a …
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Atoms can change in two ways without becoming a different element — and one way that does change the element. The key is knowing which …
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The periodic table isn't just rows and columns — specific columns and blocks are element families whose members share chemical behavior. Three of the most …
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The right side of the table has its own famous families — and in some ways they're the mirror image of the alkali metals you …
Open trial session →Chemists sort elements into families by electrons, but the everyday, hands-on way to sort them is by physical properties — the things you could observe …
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You already know electrons fill shells from the inside out (Lesson 3), and that the outermost electrons — the valence electrons — control how an …
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Here's a question worth pausing on: why do atoms bond at all? The answer comes back to something you already know about noble gases (Lesson …
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The first of the two major bond types happens when a metal meets a nonmetal — and it's really just the octet rule (Lesson 11) …
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The second major bond type happens between two nonmetals — and instead of a full transfer, it's a share. [[figure:element_vs_compound A covalent bond forms a …
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Lessons 12 and 13 showed how ionic and covalent bonds *form*. This lesson is about how to tell them apart from their properties — a …
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Once you know a compound is ionic, you can predict its formula from the ions' charges alone — no memorization of the compound itself required. …
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The periodic table's layout isn't just about families in columns — properties also change smoothly in trends as you move across a row or down …
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Put Lessons 7, 8, and 16 together, and you can predict how reactive almost any main-group element is just from where it sits on the …
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Everything in Lessons 1–17 describes the atom as scientists understand it today. That picture took over a century to build, and knowing the story helps …
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Most atoms have stable nuclei that never change. Some — especially large ones, or isotopes with an unstable ratio of protons to neutrons (Lesson 6) …
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Lesson 2 taught you to read the atomic mass in an element's box. Here's where that number actually comes from: it's not the mass of …
Open trial session →Atoms are far too small and numerous to count one at a time — a single teaspoon of water holds hundreds of billions of trillions …
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The GED® Science test rarely asks you to recite facts from memory — it hands you a table, chart, or partial periodic table and asks …
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Before the final practice set, this lesson pulls every ⚠️ Common misconception from Lessons 1–22 into one place — the mistakes that show up most …
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This closing lesson is a worked practice set, built in the same style as real GED® Science questions. Read each question, commit to an answer, …
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Course Syllabus
This self-paced GED® Science course follows a 6-lesson sequence. Work through the modules in order so that each skill supports the next.
Course sequence
Module 1 - Lessons 1-3
- Inside the Atom
- Atomic Number, Mass & Reading an Element Box
- Electron Shells (the Bohr Model)
Module 2 - Lessons 4-6
- The Periodic Table: Organization
- Elements, Compounds & Molecules
- Ions, Isotopes & Reading Atomic Data
Practice and completion
- Use worked examples and lesson practice to check understanding after each module.
- Review incorrect answers, explain the correction, and repeat weak skills.
- Complete the available mixed or final course practice to demonstrate readiness.
Course Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain the key scientific ideas and vocabulary in Inside the Atom.
- Interpret observations, data, models, or evidence related to Atomic Number, Mass & Reading an Element Box.
- Apply scientific reasoning to questions involving Electron Shells (the Bohr Model).
- Evaluate explanations and identify common errors about Elements, Compounds & Molecules.
- Connect Ions, Isotopes & Reading Atomic Data with other course concepts in mixed practice.
- Use feedback and answer explanations to diagnose and correct mistakes.
- Complete mixed, exam-style practice with clearer reasoning and greater independence.
📝 Practice Questions
30 interactive questions with instant feedback and explanations.
Enroll for free to unlock the full practice bank after the trial sessions.