Understanding the Atom

Here at Cardin, our chemistry students are exploring how the idea of the atom has changed over time. Aside from learning about protons, neutrons, and electrons, we have been learning about the important scientists that contributed to our modern understanding of the atom. Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus believed that all matter was composed of tiny blocks called “atomos” which were indivisible. Although he was on the right track, most people didn’t believe it! It wasn’t until John Dalton developed the basis for modern atomic theory, that people believed that matter was made of atoms. Now the challenge was to create a model of the atom. Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, and Werner Heisenberg all contributed to our understanding of atomic models. With a lot of experiments and a lot of complicated math (see below) we finally had an idea of what the atom looks like! At the Solvay Conference in 1927, the great minds of chemistry and physics came together to develop a model of the atom. The result is basis for modern quantum physics and chemistry. The picture below is from the Solvay conference. You can see some familiar names and faces, including Marie Curie and Albert Einstein.

~Ms. Sloane
Science Instructor