• Question: Are atoms smaller than particles?

    Asked by anon-200234 to Rosemary, Oliver, Leigh, Jordan, Hannah, David on 7 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Leigh Kesler

      Leigh Kesler answered on 7 Mar 2019:

      Particle is a very non-specific word that can be used in lots of different ways. For example, you’ve probably heard of “dust particles,” which contain many atoms and molecules and cells. But you can also refer to the bits that make up atoms as “subatomic particles,” and these are obviously smaller than atoms. So there are elementary particles which are smaller than atoms which are smaller than molecules … and on and on.

    • Photo: Oliver Gordon

      Oliver Gordon answered on 14 Mar 2019:

      Depends on what you mean by particles. If you mean a collection of atoms (i.e. molecules or particulates in the air), then yes, atoms are smaller, because atoms make up the particles.

      Same way a brick is smaller than a house made of bricks.

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