Atomic Theory And The Study Of Matter - 1304 Words

Atomic Theory and the Study of Matter Matter is anything made up of atoms and molecules and the study of these â€Å"things† called atoms dates back to the time of Ancient Greece to the present. The information about atoms known today is certainly much greater than what was known centuries ago. First, there was only hypotheses on this idea that everything in the world is made up of tiny, unseeable particles. As technology advanced, these hypotheses were tested, critiqued, modified, and built upon. A mass of knowledge is known regarding atoms, thanks to the research of numerous chemists and physicists. The atomic theory is the building block to the study of matter just as the atom is the building block to all matter. Around 400 BCE was when the Greek philosopher Democritus, alone with his teacher Leucippus, the idea of the atom was born (the word atom comes from the Greek word â€Å"atomos† or â€Å"atomon† meaning â€Å"that which cannot be split†). This w as a completely new concept, and Democritus’s theory stated that atoms were indestructible and homogenous, and different states of matter were made up of differently shaped atoms: solids had sharp and pointy atoms and liquids had large round atoms. Later these ideas would be proved inaccurate, however, this was the beginning of the discovery of the atom even though the people of this time had no instruments capable of testing the theory. It was not until centuries later that the atomic theory was truly looked at again. In 1803 an EnglishShow MoreRelatedHistory of Chemistry: The Influence of John Dalton Essay856 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Dalton was a renowned chemist born in Eaglesfield, England on September 6th, 1766. Dalton is known for his teachings of James Prescott Joule, the atomic theory, and Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures. Dalton did much to contribute to the wide world of chemistry as a whole. Dalton is best known for his contribution to the modern atomic t heory. Born in 1766, John Dalton faced many obstacles while studying chemistry. Although many obstacles were faced, Dalton still achieved becoming one of the bestRead MoreEssay on Scientific Contributions of John Dalton566 Words   |  3 PagesScientific Contributions of John Dalton John Dalton (1766-1844), was a British chemist and physicist, who developed the atomic theory upon which modern physical science is based. Dalton was born on September 6, 1766, in Eaglesfield, Cumberland County, England. He was the son of a weaver and was initially educated by his father and then at Quaker school in his hometown, where he began teaching at the age of 12. In 1781 he moved to Kendal, where he headed up a school with hisRead MoreThe Physics Of The Atomic Theory1297 Words   |  6 Pages Matter is anything made up of atoms and molecules and the study of these â€Å"things† called atoms dates back to the time of Ancient Greece to the present. The information about atoms known today is certainly much greater than what was known centuries ago. First, there were only hypotheses on this idea that everything in the world is made up of tiny, unseeable particles. As technology advanced, these hypotheses were tested, critiqued, modified, and built upon. A mass of knowledge is known regardingRead MoreThe History Of Atomic Structure1504 Words   |  7 PagesNovember 2015 The History of Atomic Structure For many years Greek philosophers were intrigued by the question of what matter consists of(Lucretius 31). In the fifth century BC, Democritus was the first philosopher to come up with a coherent atom theory. Based upon the reasoning that a stone can be split in half an infinite number of times, he hypothesized that at some point the stone would be too small for the eye to see. Democritus categorized such miniscule fragments of matter as â€Å"atomos† . WithoutRead MoreThe History Of Atomic Structure1720 Words   |  7 PagesHistory of Atomic Structure What is the atomic structure you may ask? Well, it’s the law stating the structure of an atom. It is composed of a positively charged nucleus containing a certain amount of protons (positive), neutrons (neutral charge), and electrons (negative). The amount of each subatomic particle (proton, neutron, and electron) all depend on what the element is. Now although this statement may seem fairly simple it was most definitely not. People have been studying the atomic structureRead MoreDmitri Mendeleev: The Development of the Periodic Table Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesDevelopment of the Periodic Table Introduction: The Periodic Table of Elements is a table that arranges all known chemical elements by order of their atomic numbers. During the 1600s, vast amounts of knowledge about the properties of elements and their compounds were discovered and by 1869 63 elements had been discovered. As more and more elements were discovered, scientists began to recognise similarities between their properties and began to devise means of classification. Thus the periodic tableRead MoreContributions of Famous Scientists to Chemistry Essay example856 Words   |  4 Pageswith Democritus the man who claimed that the atom is the simplest unit of matter. Democritus of ancient greece asked the question could matter be divided into smaller and smaller pieces forever or was there a limit to the number of times a piece of matter could be divided? Democritus had a theory that it would eventually get to small to cut anymore. This piece would be unable to split anymore. He named this indivivsible matter atomos. To Democritus of Greece, atoms were small, hard particles thatRead MoreThe History of Chemistry Essay1235 Words   |  5 Pagespractical knowledge was gathered. Some elements such as iron, gold, and copper were recognized. There was also some progress in glass making, metalworking, and alloying. Thales and Aristotle contemplated the nature of matter, and they believed that earth, air, fire and water composed all matter. They thought that they could remove certain qualities like hardness or temperature from common materials to make rarer substances. They did know that iron could be made from certain rock and that bronze was a mixtureRead MoreMarie Curie and the Atomic Theory Essay1425 Words   |  6 Pages The Atomic Theory is a theory that explains what matter is made of. The Atomic theory states that matter can’t be divided as it is made up of minute particles called atoms that cannot be separated. The very word atom is derived from the Greek word Atmos which means indivisible. Atomic theory timeline- Year Person/People Event 442 BCE Democritrus and Leucippus These Greek philosophers came up with the idea that all matter is composed of indivisible elements. 1803 John Dalton British chemist andRead MoreThe Discovery Of The Atom1384 Words   |  6 PagesAn Atom is the the basic building block of all matter. Atoms are made up of Particles, called: Protons, neutrons and Electrons. Protons carry a positive charge, the neutron carry s a neutral charge and the electron carry’s a negative charge. The Atom has two main parts the Nucleus and the Electron Shell. The Nucleus contains the Protons and Neutrons. The electron Shell Contains the The electrons. There are many Scientist that contributed in the investigation of the atom which are: 1- John Dalton