Matter - All solids, gases and liquids in our environment or in space. Matter in the universe is composed of molecules, which may be groups of atoms (such as water - 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom) or single atoms (helium gas, which is made up of single helium atoms.) There is also unaccounted for matter - matter we know exists but which we cannot perceive (dark matter).
Atom - The atom has a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
Nuvleus - the nucleus is the heart of the atom - the extremely small and heavy core at the center of the relatively huge atom.
Proton - a positively charged particle
Neutron - a neutral particle, almost identical to the proton but without electric charge. Both protons and neutrons are called nucleons because they live inside the nucleus.
Electron - A tiny, negatively charged particle.
Alpha Particle - Composed of four parts: two protons and two neutron living together. It has the same composition as a helium nucleus (meaning a helium atom without its electrons). It emanates from the nucleus and flies out of it at great speed; it is a form of radioactivity.
Beta Particle - An electron that emanates from the nucleus, rather than from an electron orbital in the atom (i.e. revolving around the nucleus). It also flies out of the nucleus at great speed and is a form of radioactivity.
Gamma ray - Gamma radiation is a third kind of radioactivity - it is a massless high-energy wave.
Neutrino - tiny, but has mass. It almost doesn't interact with matter.
Anti-neutrino - The opposite twin of the neutrino.
Positron - The opposite twin of the electron; it has a positive rather than a negative charge.
Anti-proton - The opposite twin of the proton; it has a negative rather than a positive charge.
Bibliography
Uranium Wars: The Scientific Rivalry that Created the Nuclear Age, by Amir D. Aczel
Palgrave Macmillan, 2009
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