What are Atoms? The smallest parts of Elements and YOU!

Summary

Professor Tidlybit explains the fascinating world of atoms, revealing how these incredibly tiny building blocks make up everything, from rocks to living beings. He highlights how atoms are so small that even a single grain of sand holds more atoms than there are grains of sand on an entire beach. With 118 elements known to scientists, the human body consists of six key elements like oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. Intriguingly, the atoms in our body are constantly replaced, making us ever-changing and raising the philosophical question: what truly makes us 'us' if we're always different?

Takeaways

• 😀 Atoms are incredibly small but make up everything, including new atoms.
• 😀 Atoms are the building blocks of all matter, from rocks and plants to computers and the Earth itself.
• 😀 If you focus on one grain of sand at the beach, it contains more atoms than grains of sand on the entire beach.
• 😀 There are 94 naturally occurring kinds of atoms, with 24 additional ones created by scientists, bringing the total to 118 elements.
• 😀 Each element on the Periodic Table behaves differently from the others and is essential to understanding matter.
• 😀 Nearly 99% of your body is made up of just six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus.
• 😀 The elements that make up your body include oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%), nitrogen (3%), calcium (1.5%), and phosphorus (1%).
• 😀 Within a year, almost all the atoms in your body are replaced through consumption and exhalation.
• 😀 You gain atoms by eating, drinking, and inhaling, and you lose them by sweating, exhaling, or going to the bathroom.
• 😀 Your atoms come from all over the planet—fish from the sea, grains from farms, water from everywhere—making you an ever-changing body of atoms.
• 😀 The fact that your body doesn't contain the same atoms as it did last year raises the question: what makes you truly you?

Q & A

What are atoms, and what do they make up?

Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter. They make up everything in the universe, including rocks, plants, animals, cars, computers, and even the entire Earth itself.

How small are atoms?

Atoms are incredibly small. To put it into perspective, if you focus on a single grain of sand at the beach, there are more atoms in that grain of sand than there are grains of sand on the entire beach!

How many types of atoms are there, and what are they called?

There are 118 known types of atoms, referred to as elements. 94 of these elements are found in nature, while scientists have created 24 more in laboratories.

What is the Periodic Table of Elements?

The Periodic Table of Elements is a chart that organizes all the known elements according to their properties. Each element is unique in how it looks or behaves.

Which six elements make up almost 99% of the human body?

The six elements that make up almost 99% of the human body are oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%), nitrogen (3%), calcium (1.5%), and phosphorus (1%).

How are atoms replaced in the human body?

Atoms in the human body are replaced throughout the year. We take in new atoms when we eat, drink, or inhale, and we lose them through sweating, exhaling, and going to the bathroom.

Why can we say that you are made of atoms from all over the world?

Because the atoms in your body come from everywhere on Earth. The food you eat, the air you breathe, and even the water you drink all contribute atoms from various parts of the planet.

What happens to the atoms in your body over the course of a year?

Over the course of a year, almost all of the atoms in your body are replaced with new ones, meaning the atoms inside you are constantly changing.

What is a surprising fact about how atoms are distributed in the human body?

A surprising fact is that almost 99% of the human body is made up of just six elements, yet there are 118 known elements in total, each with its own unique properties.

What philosophical question does the script raise about identity?

The script raises the question: If the atoms in your body are constantly changing and being replaced, what really makes you 'you'? This invites reflection on the nature of personal identity and the continuity of the self.