What is an Atom?


1️⃣ The smallest building block

  • An atom is the smallest piece of matter.
  • Everything around us is made of atoms:
    • You
    • Air
    • Water
    • Trees
    • Stars

🧠 Easy line:

Atoms are tiny building blocks of everything


2️⃣ How small is an atom?

  • Atoms are super tiny.
  • Millions of atoms can fit on the tip of a pencil!
  • You cannot see atoms with your eyes.

3️⃣ Parts of an atom

An atom has three main parts:

🔴 Protons

  • Found in the center
  • Have a positive (+) charge

⚪ Neutrons

  • Found in the center
  • Have no charge

🔵 Electrons

  • Move around the center
  • Have a negative (–) charge

4️⃣ What is the nucleus?

  • The center of the atom is called the nucleus.
  • It holds protons and neutrons.
  • It is very heavy compared to electrons.

5️⃣ Different atoms make different things

  • Atoms join together to form molecules.
  • Example:
    • Water = H₂O (2 hydrogen + 1 oxygen atom)
  • Different atoms = different materials.

⭐ Fun facts for kids

  • Your body has trillions of atoms
  • Atoms are mostly empty space
  • Gold atoms are heavier than hydrogen atoms

🧠 Easy to remember

Atom = tiny building block of matter


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