The Kinetic Theory of Matter states that all matter is composed of tiny particles (atoms or molecules) that are in a constant state of random motion, and that the speed of this motion increases with temperature.

A molecule is a particle made of two or more atoms that are joined together and move as a single unit, like two convicts handcuffed together.

atom molecule

We will never be able to see atoms because they are smaller than light waves

The concept of atoms was first proposed in ancient Greece by a man named Democritus.

He chose the word “atom” because it meant “indivisible”

(read about Democritus: link)

There are 90 naturally occurring types of atoms, and about 20 man-made ones

Atoms are so small and abundant that the following statements are true:

There are as many atoms in a drop of water as there are drops of water in the ocean

If you took one drop of water and laid all its atoms end to end, it would stretch from coast to coast

All of the atoms in your body were here when the Earth was first formed, and some (Hydrogen) are as old as the universe. The atoms in your body will still be here on Earth billions of years from now.

The atoms which make up your body come and go every day, so that in ten years time you will have replaced almost every atom in your body.

Because our atoms are spread through the air we breathe and the water we drink, we all have atoms in us that have been in almost every person on earth – alive or dead. You have atoms in your body that were once in Clinton, Columbus, T-Rex, even Elvis!

The atoms in our bodies were put together from hydrogen fusion in the cores of stars that exploded billions of years ago. (how atoms are formed: link)