Democritus by: Ujash Patel, Hayden Lopez, Alejandro Padilla, and Carlos Garcia August 20, 2017
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Period: 460 BCE to 370 BCE
Democritus' New World
Democritus was an ancient philosopher and discovered the original atomic theory. He discovered the theory by continuously cutting matter until he couldn't, then deduced it was indestructible and will continuously shrink. -
442 BCE
Atomic Theory
Democritus' Atomic Theory has many similar characteristics to our modern day theories. His theory was mixed with his theory of void. He had thought that the atom was so minuscule that we couldn't see and in this "Atomic World" there was void, empty space, in between every atom. -
442 BCE
Disagreements
Democritus' theory of the atom was disagree upon by some of the greatest philosophers at the time, including Plato and Aristotle. This made everyone doubt Democritus' theory until up to 2 millennia later. -
442 BCE
Theory's Statement
Democritus' theory stated that all matter is made up of atoms and that every single one of these atoms were different sizes and shapes depending on the type of matter. He stated that atoms were indestructible, homogenous, and infinitely moving particle. Democritus thought that the soul and the body were made of different elemental atoms that when combined creates a person. -
442 BCE
Democritus and Friends
Democritus didn't solely discover his theory he had help from his friend/teacher Leucippus. They worked together to disprove Paremides' statement "all is One." -
The Atomic Theory Reawakens
It wasn't until 1803 when the idea of atoms resurged. It was scientist John Dalton that decided bring up the theory. His theory had used similar rules to that of Democritus, such as all matter has atoms and that they are indestructible. This theory included more such as how atoms react chemically and physically as well as how they change in amount depending on the element in question. This theory is the basis of the current day theory. -
Period: to
The Model
Both JJ Thompson and Niels Bohr had made great advances in the identification and look of the atoms. They had established models of what they had thought the atom would look like. Thompson made the original model while Bohr had added on to it. -
Neutron
James Chadwick had extended the atomic theory due to his discovery of the neutron. -
Citations Part 2
"Leucippus." NNDB. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2017. http://www.nndb.com/people/021/000094736/.
"Ancient Greece." Ancient Greece Reloaded. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2017. http://www.ancientgreecereloaded.com/files/ancient_greece_reloaded_website/great_persons/democritus.php. -
Citations
“"Democritus." The-History-of-the-Atom. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2017. https://the-history-of-the-atom.wikispaces.com/Democritus.
"Democritus." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2017. http://www.ancient.eu/Democritus/.
"Who Was Democritus?" Universe Today. N.p., 27 July 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2017. https://www.universetoday.com/60058/democritus-atom/.