Are elements atoms?

A particular atom will have the same number of protons and electrons and most atoms have at least as many neutrons as protons. An element is a substance that is made entirely from one type of atom. For example, the element hydrogen is made from atoms containing just one proton and one electron. read more

Get ready for an imperfect analogy. Imagine going to an ice cream store. Let's say they have 30 different flavors of ice cream. Those are elements, the things I have available from which to build my dessert. The smallest amount of ice cream the store will sell to me is a scoop. This is an atom. read more

Atoms and Elements Ordinary matter is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons and is composed of atoms. An atom consists of a tiny nucleus made up of protons and neutrons, on the order of 20,000 times smaller than the size of the atom. read more

Matter, elements, and atoms Learn about the structure of the atom, and how atoms make up matter. An atom is the smallest unit of matter that retains all of the chemical properties of an element. read more

An atom is the smallest constituent unit of ordinary matter that has the properties of a chemical element. Every solid, liquid, gas, and plasma is composed of neutral or ionized atoms. Atoms are extremely small; typical sizes are around 100 picometers (a ten-billionth of a meter, in the short scale). read more