Atoms are not a foreign topic to many of those who’ve studied science in middle and high school. Despite this, not many know or understand what they are exactly, outside of the fact that they are incredibly small, building blocks of beings that surround us. So what actually are they? Well, chemically atoms are composed of even smaller units of matter. Every atom includes a very dense nucleus, along with a cloud of electrons surrounding it. The nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons, which provides important properties to the atom: the number of protons determine the chemical element, while the neutrons contribute to the mass of the atom. The behavior of atoms are explained through a subfield of physics commonly referred to as quantum physics. In quantum mechanics, atoms and their electrons possess spontaneous, unpredictable behaviors. For example, electrons exhibit both particle AND wavelike behaviors, often called the “Cloud of Probability" due to its strange nature. Physicist Schrodinger’s equation attempts to calculate this cloud using three dimensional analysis, since the exact location of the electrons cannot be calculated. Schrodinger’s approach does take the basis from previous scientists such as Bohr or Einstein, but he developed a rather unique yet precise understanding of electron behavior. He viewed the different energy levels of electrons as different waves of various frequencies – commonly called the “Wave Theory.” The understanding of atoms and their counterparts remains a crucial part of quantum physics, where energy and matter is studied at the microscopic levels, and behavior doesn’t quite follow regular rules of classical physics, as we discussed in the previous update.