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53 bytes added ,  15:22, December 17, 2008
The "atomic" nature of the atom: it's actually composed of particles and subparticles
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An '''atom''' is
 
An '''atom''' is
 
a [[particle]] of [[matter]] indivisible by [[chemical]] means <ref>[http://www.lbl.gov/abc/Glossary.html Glossary of Nuclear Terms] </ref> which form the building blocks of molecules.
 
a [[particle]] of [[matter]] indivisible by [[chemical]] means <ref>[http://www.lbl.gov/abc/Glossary.html Glossary of Nuclear Terms] </ref> which form the building blocks of molecules.
Although the word "atom" comes from the Greek term for indivisible, ''átomos'', atoms are actually made up of three different kinds of subatomic particles.
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Although the word "atom" comes from the Greek term for indivisible, ''átomos'', atoms are actually made up of three different kinds of subatomic particles; some of these are composed of yet smaller particles.
    
In the atomic [[nucleus]] there are positively charged [[proton]]s and electrically neutral [[neutron]]s. Spinning around the nucleus are negatively charged [[electron]]s. [[Hydrogen]], in its most common [[isotope]], has only one proton and no neutrons.
 
In the atomic [[nucleus]] there are positively charged [[proton]]s and electrically neutral [[neutron]]s. Spinning around the nucleus are negatively charged [[electron]]s. [[Hydrogen]], in its most common [[isotope]], has only one proton and no neutrons.
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