what is an element
Part of the Mathematics glossary: 1) In chemistry and physics, an element is a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler components by any non-nuclear chemical reaction. An element is uniquely determined by the number of protons in the nuclei of its atoms. The number of protons in the nucleus of the atom of an element is known as the atomic number of that element. The number of electrons in the atom of a specific element can vary.