If atoms make up everything, what makes up atoms?
Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything. They join, or bond, together to make larger molecules – be that the water you drink or the rocks that make up the Moon. Atoms are made up of three tiny particles: protons, neutrons and electrons.
The protons and neutrons clump together in a central nucleus, which is orbited by the electrons. The protons and neutrons together give the atom its mass (weight). Protons carry a positive charge and neutrons are neutral. This makes the nucleus positive and keeps the negatively charged electrons attracted to it.
All the elements (the different substances that make up the universe – hydrogen, carbon, oxygenor iron, for instance) are made up of these same three particles but each element has a unique “recipe”. An atom of the light element helium, for example, has two protons, two neutrons and two electrons. An atom of heavier gold, on the other hand, has 79 protons, 118 neutrons and 79 electrons.
Protons and neutrons are actually made up of even smaller particles called quarks. There doesn’t seem to be anything smaller inside electrons though, which makes sense as they are 1,800 times smaller than protons and neutrons.
