Well, guys, the answer is CHEMISTRY! You are asking the right questions, and if you extend the question a little bit, I think you would probably have one of those "Eureka!" moments of discovery. Yes, all things are made of atoms, and all atoms are made of the same three basic particles - protons, neutrons, and electrons. But, all atoms are not the same. You know that the number of protons in an atom determines what element you have. For instance hydrogen has one proton, carbon has six. The difference in the number of protons and neutrons in atoms account for many of the different properties of elements. But most of the "real world" physical properties of materials - at least the ones we experience and relate to most - are caused by the electrons. The number and arrangement of electrons in an atom define the chemical characteristics of elements. One way to think of electrons is that they are the part of the atom that "shows". They are the outer coating. They are the glue that holds atoms together in chemical bonds. The basic electron number is determined by the number of protons. In a stable carbon-12 atom there are six electrons, since there are six protons. But it gets a whole lot more interesting than just counting electrons.
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Well, guys, the answer is CHEMISTRY! You are asking the right questions, and if you extend the question a little bit, I think you would probably have one of those "Eureka!" moments of discovery. Yes, all things are made of atoms, and all atoms are made of the same three basic particles - protons, neutrons, and electrons. But, all atoms are not the same. You know that the number of protons in an atom determines what element you have. For instance hydrogen has one proton, carbon has six. The difference in the number of protons and neutrons in atoms account for many of the different properties of elements. But most of the "real world" physical properties of materials - at least the ones we experience and relate to most - are caused by the electrons. The number and arrangement of electrons in an atom define the chemical characteristics of elements. One way to think of electrons is that they are the part of the atom that "shows". They are the outer coating. They are the glue that holds atoms together in chemical bonds. The basic electron number is determined by the number of protons. In a stable carbon-12 atom there are six electrons, since there are six protons. But it gets a whole lot more interesting than just counting electrons.