-
Isaac Newton
Was one of the first people who understood the laws of motion and credited the fact that atoms were an infinite vacuum. He proposed the idea of a mechanical universe with solid masses in motion. -
John Dalton
Came up with the idea of “atomic theory” with circular atoms based on properties of mass that were measurable. Today we can easily determine the element and its symbol based on Dalton’s work. He documented a journal of notes with the first use of symbols to represent the modern elements. -
JJ Thomson
Studied “canal rays” and discovered that they were associated with the proton H+. With Thomson’s discovery, we know that electron clouds exist and how many electrons in each electron cloud. -
Ernest Rutherford
Established that the nucleus was a very small and dense, positively charged particle. He also assumed that electrons were located outside the nucleus. -
Niels Bohr
Developed an explanation for atomic structure that followed the periodic table. More understanding of the atom’s structure and the radiation was produced from his work. -
James Chadwick
Discovered using alpha particles, that a neutral atomic particle has a mass close to a proton. Thus a neutron was discovered. With the discovery of a neutron, scientists today are able to break up Uranium 235 and create atomic bombs.
