The whole universe is built of matter. Right now, you are surrounded by it. The air we breathe is matter, and all the things you see around you are matter. The odors you smell are matter and the sounds you hear are caused by the movement of matter in your ears.
Matter is everything that takes up space and has weight. Scientists say that matter has volume and mass. Matter is made up of tiny building blocks called atoms. The purest type of atom is called an element. The elements are what give matter its different qualities.
Today we can see atoms by using a special instrument called an electron microscope. An electron microscope lets us see things that are millions of times smaller than the things we can see with a powerful optical microscope.
Most of the matter around us has more than one element in it. But some matter is made up of just one element. If you have ever held a diamond, for example, it is made of just one element, Carbon.

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