Earthquakes seemed to outline a special feature of earth's crust. Earthquakes let scientists know where the crust was moving. This led to the discovery that the Earths crust was broken up into regions, or plates. Earthquakes happen most often along these plate boundaries. This was evidence that continents can move. The movements of the plates are called plate tectonics. The Earths crust is divided into plates. There are about a dozen large plates and several small ones. Each plate is named for the continent or ocean basin it contains. Scientists know he plates are in motion. They now know the direction and speed of this motion . Plates dont move very fast. They move only a few centimeters a year. This is about the same rate fingernails grow. So you might wonder, what could cause this motion? What supplies the energy to cause this change?

To get a sense of how fast plates move, what can you look at on your body?

Energy is stored in chemical compounds. This energy is called chemical energy. Chemical energy is a form of potential energy. When bonds between atoms are broken, energy is released. The wood in fireplaces has chemical energy. The energy is released as heat and light when the wood burns. Most living things get their energy from food. When food molecules are broken down, the energy is released. It may then be used to do work, like playing ball or studying science. If you have ever heard, "Eat a good breakfast", thats why. You need energy to do things during the day. To do those things you need energy. You get your energy from the food you eat. That energy is stored in your body until you need it. How did you get to school today? If you walked, you used chemical energy from the food you ate. What if you rode the bus or were driven in a car? Where did that energy come from?

When energy is released as heat and light from wood, what happens to the atoms in the wood?

Electric charge is a physical property. It occurs between particles or objects. It causes them to attract or repel each other. They do not even have to touch. This is unlike the typical push or pull you may be familiar with. All electric charge is based on the protons and electrons in atoms. A proton has a positive electric charge. An electron has a negative electric charge. Forces on Charged Objects Most atoms are balanced electrically. They have the same number of positive and negative charges. Therefore, the number of protons equals the number of electrons. Neutrons do not matter as they have no charge. When an object loses some electrons, it becomes positively charged. There are now more protons than electrons inside the atom. The lost electrons may remain free. Or, they may attach to another object. The new object now has more electrons than protons. It then becomes negatively charged.
How will increasing neutrons affect the particle's charge?