What Is an Atom

Let me tell you about the most fundamental thing in chemistry - atoms. These tiny particles make up everything around you. The screen you're looking at, the air you breathe, even your own body - all built from atoms.

I remember being amazed when I first learned that everything is made of these incredibly small building blocks. It really changed how I see the world.

Parts of an Atom

Atoms have three main parts. Protons sit in the center - that's the nucleus. They have a positive charge. Neutrons are also in the nucleus, with no charge. Then electrons zip around the outside, with negative charge.

What blows most people away is how empty atoms are. If a nucleus was the size of a marble, the electron would be about a football field away. Atoms are mostly empty space!