1. A substance that is not able to be decomposed into simpler substances by any known chemical process. All the atoms in an element have the same number of protons or electrons but the number of neutrons may vary. All the elements are listed in the periodic table of which 93 are naturally occurring.
2. A small part of a system used as the basis for an analysis of an entire system. For example, an element may be a portion of the fluid in a (p. 124) pipe or vessel upon which a force or energy balance is performed to determine the fluid behaviour within the entire pipe or vessel.
3. A component of a control device or system.