Facts At Your Fingertips: Matter and materials
Everything on Earth is made from different types of matter, which behave in different ways, depending on the conditions.
Rock, for example, can form solid mountains, but at high temperatures it melts and flows as lava. Exploring the way matter changes its form under different conditions of heat or pressure reveals how the universe works at its most basic level.
Understanding how materials behave in different situations shows how they can—and cannot—be used.
ATOMS
All matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. At the center of each atom is a nucleus, made up of protons and neutrons, and this is surrounded by a cloud of electrons.