John.H. Corbitt, Jr. aged 14, of Salley, S.C. for his question:

What is an element?

The world is made of countless different substances. Even in ancient days, people thought these many substances were made from a few basic ingredients. The ancients guessed there were only four of these ingredients. They called them elements. Everything they said, is made from the four elements earth, air, fire and water.

The age of science proved that the countless substances were made of a few basic ingredients, But it changed the notion of what an element is. There are over 90 of these elements. And the atoms in each are all of the same sort. Atoms in the element iron are all iron atoms. Atoms in the element hydrogen are all hydrogen atoms.

Gold is an element. A11, atoms of gold are alike ire size, weight and number of particles. There are 79 particles in the nucleus of each atom of gold. If there were more or fewer, the atom would not be an atom of gold. So, an atom, is the smallest possible particle of an element. The lightest element is hydrogen. Its atom has but one particle in the nucleus. Oxygen, silver and helium are also elements. Radium is a radioactive element.

These are some of the less‑than‑a‑hundred basic elements of which the world is made. Elements combine to form substances when their atoms combine to form molecules.