by John Traveler

Created on: August 15, 2008   Last Updated: October 19, 2008

All matter in the universe is composed of atoms. There are 92 naturally occurring types of atoms, representing the basic chemical elements. In addition, there are 26 elements predicted to exist as of March 2008. Of these, 25 have actually been synthesized through successive bombardment of Uranium isotopes in atom smashing machines like Fermi-Lab and also as a result of thermonuclear atomic explosions. Some of these elements may be synthesized in supernova explosions, but all of these dense atoms have relatively short half lives and would not be around for long.

All atoms are made up of smaller subatomic particles, the three major ones being protons, neutrons and electrons. These subatomic particles are comprised of yet smaller bits of matter or energy, including photons, bosons, leptons, gluons, and quarks. Since these smallest units of matter are quite stealthy and short lived in free space, we know them only by how they act, the trajectory they follow when liberated during decomposition of atoms as a result of high energy particle collisions.

There are four known forces which define matter and energy in the observable universe. Three of these forces, the nuclear strong force, nuclear week force and electromagnetic force, are all involved in binding subatomic particles together to form atoms. In 1925, based on Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, physicist George Lamatre proposed a theory that all of the matter in the universe precipitated from an event he called the primeval atom. Another physicist and friend of Einstein's, Max Planck, developed a method of scientific and mathematical analysis called quantum mechanics to describe the forces and interactions of subatomic particles to form atoms. Through the application of quantum physics, scientists over the past seventy years or so have been able to defined a model of Lamatre's primeval atom and a period of time amounting to a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth (1X10[-43]) of a second, called the Planck Epoch, when all the atoms in the visible universe materialized. During the Plank Epoch there was no gravity and the universe experienced a rapid expansion, but thereafter the fourth force gravity came into effect, and has slowed the explanation of the universe ever since. While there are still some holes that need to be filled in with respect to the big bang theory, the evidence for it us substantial, and most scientist except its premise today.

All of the characteristics of atoms stem

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