Atom (game)
Encyclopedia
Atom is a home computer game published by Tandy
in 1983 for the TRS-80
. The game educates the player about the first few element
s of the periodic table
(Hydrogen
through Xenon
).
) on an x axis plane to collect and shoot electrons at a spinning atom
to obtain a new atom. For example, if the player has one electron circling, he or she would shoot another electron in place to make a hydrogen element
. If the electron misses the target and hits the nucleus
, the atom becomes unstable and blows apart, sending electrons flying around the game screen, and the ship needs to find safety behind barriers located in three of the four corners of the arena.
Atom is a timed game with a countdown timer in the upper left corner of the arena timed in nanosecond
s (actually tenths). Once the timer reaches zero, the atom destabilizes and explodes.
Tandy Corporation
Tandy Corporation was a family-owned leather goods company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tandy was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store, and acquired RadioShack in 1963. The Tandy name was dropped in May 2000, when RadioShack Corporation was made the official name.-History:Tandy began in 1919...
in 1983 for the TRS-80
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
. The game educates the player about the first few element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
s of the periodic table
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
(Hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
through Xenon
Xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. The element name is pronounced or . A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts...
).
Gameplay
The player takes command of a ship (presumably a gravitonGraviton
In physics, the graviton is a hypothetical elementary particle that mediates the force of gravitation in the framework of quantum field theory. If it exists, the graviton must be massless and must have a spin of 2...
) on an x axis plane to collect and shoot electrons at a spinning atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
to obtain a new atom. For example, if the player has one electron circling, he or she would shoot another electron in place to make a hydrogen element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
. If the electron misses the target and hits the nucleus
Atomic nucleus
The nucleus is the very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. It was discovered in 1911, as a result of Ernest Rutherford's interpretation of the famous 1909 Rutherford experiment performed by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Rutherford. The...
, the atom becomes unstable and blows apart, sending electrons flying around the game screen, and the ship needs to find safety behind barriers located in three of the four corners of the arena.
Atom is a timed game with a countdown timer in the upper left corner of the arena timed in nanosecond
Nanosecond
A nanosecond is one billionth of a second . One nanosecond is to one second as one second is to 31.7 years.The word nanosecond is formed by the prefix nano and the unit second. Its symbol is ns....
s (actually tenths). Once the timer reaches zero, the atom destabilizes and explodes.