Nuclear magnetic resonance

Nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR for short, is like a special camera that takes pictures of the insides of objects.

Everything around us - even you! - is made up of tiny particles called atoms. These atoms themselves are made up of even tinier parts called protons and neutrons. When you put these protons and neutrons together, they create a magnetic field around the atom.

Scientists use a special machine that creates a really strong magnetic field to study these magnetic fields around the atoms. This machine is called an NMR machine.

When a sample - let's say a piece of bread - is put into the NMR machine, the magnetic field affects the protons within the atoms in the bread. The machine then sends radio waves through the sample, which 'read' the magnetic field and make a noise. This noise is then translated into a picture of the inside of the bread!

This technology is really useful because it lets scientists see what's going on inside different materials, like cells in our body, rocks, and even the air we breathe. By studying these pictures, scientists can learn more about these materials and how they work. Isn't that cool?