The definition of matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Scientists try to classify that matter into several categories. The most basic building block of matter is the atom. The atom is the simplest particle you can have of an element. Well, there are certainly particles that are smaller than atoms. There are protons, neutrons, and electrons. But if you start to get to that level of detail, it no longer resembles the element anymore. It loses the element's properties if you start to look at the subatomic particles that make it up. Today we're going to be drawing dots to represent atoms and the color of those dots are going to represent what type of element you have. So for example, anytime I draw a blue dot today that's going to represent the element hydrogen. Anytime I draw a red dot that's going to represent an atom of oxygen. Anytime I draw a green dot that's going to represent an atom of carbon. My yellow dots are going to represent atoms of nickel. And my brown dots are going to represent atoms of copper.