Image of atom

The Discovery of the Atomic Model

  • Smaller than the Atom

    Smaller than the Atom
    Becquerel showed that atoms were able to emit smaller particles. Hence atoms must be divisible!
  • Plumb Pudding

    Plumb Pudding
    JJ Thomson discovered the electron and proposed the "plumb pudding" atomic model
  • Discovering Alpha Particles

    Discovering Alpha Particles
    New Zealander, Ernest Rutherford discovered the alpha particle.
  • Discovering Beta and Gamma Radiation

    Discovering Beta and Gamma Radiation
    Becquerel identifies the beta particles as electrons.
    Paul Villard identified the differences between gamma rays, X-rays, and other radiation types.
  • Rutherford debunks the Plumb Pudding

    Rutherford debunks the Plumb Pudding
    Rutherford, Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden carried out the Gold Foil experiment and began establishing the Rutherford-Bohr Atomic Model