Last Updated on February 14, 2024.
Atoms are fundamental pieces of matter. The matter refers to anything that may be touched physically.
All things in the universe are made of matter (except energy). So all things in our universe are made of atoms.
This lesson is provided by Onsego GED Prep.
Video Transcription
Atoms themselves are made up of three very small sorts of particles named subatomic particles: electrons, protons, and neutrons.
The center of an atom (called the nucleus) includes the protons and the neutrons, while the electrons are flying around above the atom’s nucleus in a tiny cloud.
Electrons are carrying a negative charge, while protons are carrying a positive charge.
Fast & Easy Online GED Course
Get Your Diploma in 2 Months
It doesn’t matter when you left school
Within a normal atom (neutral atom), the number of electrons and the number of protons are equal.
Usually, but not always, neutrons are here seen in the same number as well.
The atom’s negative electrons are always attracted to the atom’s positive nucleus by the identical electrical force that is causing magnets to work the way they do.
That electrical force is what’s keeping the atom together. That’s how it works!
So once again:
Atoms are the fundamental pieces of all matter, and matter is referring to anything that we can touch physically.
Except for energy, all things in our universe are made up of matter. This means that all things in the universe are also made up of atoms.
And atoms themselves consist of 3 tiny particles that we refer to as subatomic particles. These are electrons, protons, and neutrons.