atoms

Matter's smallest pieces

Atoms are the smallest units of matter that retain the properties of a chemical element.

Everything physical is made of atoms—your body, the air, the ground beneath you.

An atom consists of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.

The word often signals fundamental particles or tiny amounts: There isn't an atom of truth in what he said.

To split the atom is to release nuclear energy, or figuratively, to accomplish something requiring extreme precision.

scale

microscopic

Too small for eyes

tiny · invisible · innumerable · countless · indivisible · fundamental · building block · matter · particle · minuscule

subatomic

electron

Negative subatomic particle

quark · lepton · boson · hadron · muon · gluon · neutrino · positron · antimatter · ion

nuclear

fission

Nuclear breakup releasing energy

decay · half-life · chain reaction · critical mass · uranium · plutonium · radiation · alpha · beta · gamma

elements

periodic table

Systematic display of elements

  • hydrogenSimplest atomic element
  • oxygenElement eight, colorless gas
  • carbonSixth element, atomic symbol C

nitrogen · helium · neon · iron · gold · silver · copper · uranium · plutonium · calcium

bonding

covalent

Sharing electrons between atoms

molecule · compound · valence · octet · sigma · pi · polar · nonpolar · polarity · electronegativity

quantum

wavefunction

Quantum state's mathematical representation

wave-particle · orbital · energy level · quantum mechanics · photon · absorption · emission · spectral · discrete · quantized

philosophy

indivisible

Unable to be divided

materialism · mechanistic

Categories
Opposites
scale of matter - smaller constituents

atomsquarks

Fundamental hadron components

subatomic particles · electrons · protons · neutrons · leptons

scale of matter - larger structures

atomsmolecules

Bonded atomic groups

macroscale · compounds · matter · substances · cosmos

divisibility/unity

atomscontinuum

Uninterrupted, gradual sequence

plenum · void · whole · unity · totality

Phrases
Family

atom, atomic, atomizer, atomize, subatomic, atomism, atomization, atomistic, atomic bomb

Familiarity
Top 20,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G