Matter is the fundamental entity that makes up all things in nature, and the structure of matter refers to what matter is composed of and how they are combined together.
At the end of the 18th century, French chemist Lavoisier proposed the theory of elements, which believed that all substances were composed of non decomposable elements and compiled the first elemental table. At the end of the 19th century, British physicist Thomson discovered electrons and revealed the internal structure of atoms.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Danish physicist Bohr proposed the atomic model, which explained the energy levels and spectra of atoms. In the mid-20th century, American physicists such as Feynman established quantum electrodynamics, describing electromagnetic interactions and the microscopic behavior of matter. At the end of the 20th century, scientists discovered basic particles such as quarks and gluons, and established the standard model, unifying strong interactions, weak interactions, and electromagnetic interactions. The discovery and study of the structure of matter have revealed the most basic laws and orders of nature to humanity, and have also created new materials and technologies for humanity.
