The Science Social Studies Communication arts.
Chapter 1: Fundamentals – The Building Blocks of Everything Hey, welcome to the start of this journey. Science isn’t some distant, dusty textbook thing locked away in labs—it’s the raw reality of the world we move through every day in the Bronx, from the concrete under our feet to the energy in the air on a hot summer night. In this chapter, we’re laying down the fundamentals : matter, energy, and the forces that hold it all together. Think of it like the streets, the blocks, and the invisible rules that keep the city pulsing. No fancy degrees needed—just curiosity and real talk.NCtJy“LARGE”fIpqL“LARGE” What Is Matter? Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space . Your body, the chair you’re sitting on, the food on your plate, even the air you’re breathing (though it’s thin)—that’s all matter. At its core, matter is built from tiny particles called atoms . Imagine an atom like a miniature solar system in the middle of the block: Protons (positive charge) and neutrons (...