The Three Salient Features of the Ross Model

Okay... We have transformed the Bohr-Rutherford model of the atom to the Ross model of the atom. This is a pedagogical model of the atom, designed specifically for learners.

The most important difference is that we have reduced the number of features from twenty-plus to only three salient features: the core charge, the valence configuration, and the radius of the valence.

More than a simple reduction of features, this atom organizes those features in a way that young people can understand. I have employed structures that match the sensory, psychological, linguistic, and motor factors that students use to "make sense of the world" that they perceive around them.

In a nutshell, it makes intuitive sense that:

• electrons are more attracted to "strong" core charges
• the closer an electron is to the core, the more strongly it is attracted
• an electron can only occupy an "empty" place in the valence shell  

Because of the pedagogical design, this representation of the atom makes intuitive sense to students. I do not doubt that you, too, will find this model intuitively easy to grasp.