What is an Atom

An atom is the smallest unit of a chemical element.  It is a fundamental piece of matter.  A matter is anything that can be touched physically. Everything in the universe is made of matter except energy. So everything in the universe is made up of atoms.

An atom is made out of particles called subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons.

The electrons which are negatively charged fly around or orbit the nucleus which in the center of the atom and consists of the protons and neutrons which are negatively charged. Typically, the number of electrons and protons are equal.

Carbon element has 6 elections, 6 protons and 6 neutrons.

The negative electrons are attracted to the positive nucleus by the same electrical force which causes magnets to work. That's what keeps the atom together.