Elementary Particles
. Elementary Particles, in physics, particles that cannot be broken down into any other particles. The term elementary particles also is used more loosely to include some subatomic particles that are composed of other particles. Particles that cannot be broken further are sometimes called fundamental particles to avoid confusion. These fundamental particles provide the basic units that make up all matter and energy in the universe. Scientists and philosophers have sought to identify and study elementary particles since ancient times. Aristotle and other ancient Greek philosophers believed that all things were composed of four elementary materials: fire , water , air , and earth . People in other ancient cultures developed similar notions of basic substances. As early scientists began collecting and analyzing information about the world, they showed that these materials were not fundamental but were made of other substances. In the 1800s British physicist John Dalton was so sure he ha...