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⇒ The idea that matter is made up of tiny ⇒ The idea of the atom was revived in the
particles called atoms was first proposed by early 1800’s by a schoolteacher named John
the Greeks about 2500 years ago. Dalton.
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Brownian Motion Brownian Motion
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The Elements The Elements
⇒ The early universe (soon after the Big ⇒ After the stars exploded, the elements that were
Bang approximately 15 billion years ago), fused in the stars interiors were released to the
was composed entirely of hydrogen with a universe where they could then form planets and
very, very small amount of helium (and other matter.
possibly some lithium).
⇒ Except for some of the hydrogen and small
⇒ All other elements up to iron were formed amounts of helium (and possibly lithium), all of the
in the deep interiors of stars by nuclear fusion. elements in the universe are the remnants of stars
that exploded billions of years ago.
⇒ All elements heavier than iron were
formed in supernovae (when giants stars ⇒ We are stardust!
explode).
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Properties of atoms Properties of atoms
Atoms are ageless. Atoms get around.
⇒ Many of the atoms in your body are almost
⇒ All atoms are constantly in a state of motion,
as old as the universe and were created when
even atoms that make up solid objects. Atoms
giant stars exploded billions of years ago.
in a gas are moving the fastest, and then atoms
⇒ Atoms are constantly being shared and in a liquid, and finally atoms in a solid.
recycled among all living and nonliving things
⇒ Atoms of gas in the atmosphere diffuse
on the Earth.
rapidly, so the air that you breath today could
⇒ Some of the atoms in your body were have been on the other side of the country
probably once a part of me. only a couple of days ago.
⇒ This means that given enough time (a few ⇒ Each breath you take contains about ten
years), all the atoms from one of your exhaled thousand, billion, billion atoms.
breaths will have evenly distributed themselves
throughout the entire atmosphere. ⇒ This means that with every breath that you
take, you breathe in atoms that were once a part
⇒ This happens with every breath you take. of everyone who has ever lived.
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Exercise 15 Antimatter
antimatter ⇒ matter composed of atoms ⇒ scientists can calculate how much mass
with negative nuclei and positive electrons should be in distant galaxies from the
(positrons) gravitational force they exert on other
objects
⇒ if matter and antimatter came into contact,
they completely annihilate each other and ⇒ when we add up all the visible mass, it is
transform into energy (E = mc2) only 10% of what it should be
⇒ an equal amount of matter and antimatter ⇒ the 90% of the mass that can’t be seen is
is consumed in the process called dark matter