Atomism

Moleculeism, also known as Conventional Atomic Theory, is the ideology that states that all matter is composed of atoms and molecules that are ultramicroscopic, usually less than a billionth of a meter in size (exceptions do exist, like DNA). It is the conventionalist counterpart to Matter-Continuitism.

The most modern form of Moleculeism does not state that atoms are indivisible (like the original Daltonian atomic theory stated), but instead posits that atoms are composed of even smaller subatomic particles (electron, proton, neutron, etc.) which can further be divided into quarks and gluons. The newest theory is the quantum-mechanical theory, which posits that electrons in atoms are part of electron "clouds" of different shapes and sizes (depending on the energy level). A similar model is the Bohr model, which posits that electrons orbit in fixed orbits around the nucleus. Regardless of the model used, most models state that electrons will always attempt to obtain the lowest possible energy ("ground") state.