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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.
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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.
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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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