A brief overview of the make-up of the atom and the history the atomic theory.
The atom is the very smallest unit of matter or the smallest part of a chemical element that still contains all the parts of that element. Atoms are the very heart of our chemical elements, and harnessing the atom has been a long, historic process. This paper shows that atoms have been known about for a while in history, but it was not until the 20th century that scientists learned how to harness the power of the atom and use it effectively.
“Today, scientists have uncovered much more information about the elements that make up the atom, including baryons, quarks, and antiparticles. Because we understand more about the composition of the atom, we can use it more effectively. For example, scientists often use protons in particle accelerators, (sometimes called “atom smashers”), which create beams of actively charged particles and then point them toward targets. The energy created by these accelerators help scientists study the nucleus of the atom, and create the nuclear energy that will create new particles.”