What are considered the basic building blocks of matter?

Atoms are considered the basic building blocks of matter because they are the smallest units of an element that retain all the chemical properties of that element. Atoms consist of a nucleus made up of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons that orbit the nucleus. Every substance in the universe can be classified as matter, and all matter is made up of these atoms.

Molecules are formed when two or more atoms bond together, which means they are a more complex structure than atoms themselves. Elements are substances that consist of only one type of atom, but they are not the foundational units of matter; they are made up of atoms. Particles can refer to various small entities including atoms, molecules, and subatomic particles, but in the context of fundamental units of matter, atoms are the most recognized building blocks. Thus, atoms stand out as the fundamental components from which everything else is derived.