3 ms·

> Atoms are not indivisible They are the smallest unit of a substance that cannot be broken down into smaller units of the same substance. They are, in a sense

• Timwi 2y ago
  Of course they can. Carbon dioxide consists of quarks and electrons. I can divide it into units smaller than atoms and it's still quarks and electrons. All you did was a word trick by assuming a specific meaning of “substance”.
  • namaria 2y ago
    No word trick. Just pointing out that there's some nuance to it. > Carbon dioxide consists of quarks and electrons. But this is just plain wrong. Carbon dioxide consists of carbon dioxide molecules. There is no "carbon-dioxidity" to the quarks and electrons (which are also made of quarks) that the atoms that make the molecules can be broken down into.
    • __MatrixMan__ 2y ago
      That's a good point, I hadn't thought about it that way. Maybe it's a little less of an arbitrary choice than I was giving it credit for. It is not, however, Democratus's point. So I think the "words change, deal with it" argument still stands.