Understanding Atomic Structures

The atom is the fundamental unit of matter that everything around us is made out of. Everything that has mass and takes up space? Made of atoms. For many students, it is incredibly difficult to comprehend this idea, since atoms are so small and they are not easily seen even with very powerful scientific tools. Science teachers often rely on analogies and comparisons to help students picture what an atom “looks like”. The following activities aim to help students understand the atom, as it serves as the foundation for the rest of chemistry and plays an important role in many parts of physics.