Atom

Until now, popular science has relegated the atom to a supporting role indefining the different chemical elements of the periodic table. This bold newtitle places its subjectcenter stage, shining the spotlight directly ontothe structure and properties of this tiniest amount of anything it is possibleto identify. The book covers a huge range of topics,including thedevelopment of scientific thinking about the atom, the basic structure of theatom, how the interactions between atoms account for the familiar propertiesofeveryday materials; the power and mystery of the atomic nucleus, andwhat the mysterious quantum realm of subatomic particles and their interactionscan tell us about thevery nature of reality. Sparkling text banishes anoutdated world of dull chemistry, as it brightly introduces the reader to whateverything is made of and how it all works, on themost fundamental level.