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Dalton's Solid Sphere Model
In 1808 Dalton published his solid sphere model, which stated that atoms were the smallest particles of matter. His experiments with gas proved that atoms did exist, and since he thought they were the smallest particles of matter he envisioned them as small hard spheres. He also used wooden balls to model them. -
Thompson's Plum Pudding Model
In 1904 Thompson first proposed his atomic model, the plum pudding model, which was proposed shortly after the electron was discovered but before the nucleus was discovered. The plum pudding model was an attempt to explain how the two currently known properties of atoms could look. Said model shows the negatively charged electrons, similar to plums, surrounded by a volume of positive charge, similar to the pudding. -
Rutherford's Nuclear Model
In 1909 Rutherford directed the Geiger-Madison Experiment which upon further analysis in 1911 resulted in Rutherford proposing his model of the atom which featured a nucleus. Since during the Geiger-Madison Experiment the beams of alpha particles they shot all metal foil didn't all pass through, which would've happen is the plum pudding model was correct. -
Bohr's Bohr (Planetary) Model
In 1913 Bohr and Rutherford presented a new model of the atom which closely resembles the solar system, but with electrostatic forces instead of gravitational forces. Interestingly enough Bohr's model was not the first to depict atom as being similar to the solar system with there being a solar system model from 1897 and a model based of off Saturn from 1904. Bohr's model also explained the Rydberg formula for hydrogen's spectral emission lines. -
Schrodinger's Quantum Mechanics Model
In 1926 Schrodinger used mathematical equations to describe the likelihood of finding an electron in a specific position. Schrodinger's model does not give a definite path for the electron to follow, unlike Bohr's which did, but instead predicts the probability of the electron being in a certain position. -
Today.
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