Atomic History

Democritus

He had the idea that it is impossible for something to be cut in half forever, it must end in a particle that cannot be cut in half.

Democritus

Created the word "atom" from the Greek word "atomos".

John Dalton

learned that elements combine to make new things; this led him to further research.

John Dalton learned that

• All matter is made of atoms
• All atoms of given elements are identical in properties
• A chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms
• Compounds are formed of two or more atoms

J.J. Thompson

Conducted an experiment in which he fired electrical currents through glass pipes filled with low-density gas. He discovered a new part of the atom.

J.J. Thompson


Discovered electrons in atoms.

Ernest Rutherford

Conducted an experiment where he created a "shooting gallery" where he fired a bolt of light at atoms and most went through, while others bounced back, this led to another discovery.

Ernest Rutherford

Discovered the nucleus

Niels Bohr

studied how atoms move,
discovered the way atoms function.

Niels Bohr

Found that atoms move in a stable way, and can "jump" from different "bars" like climbing a ladder.

Schrodinger and Heisenberg

Discovered that an electron's path cannot be predicted.

Schrodinger and Heisenberg

Were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work.