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Democritus
Democritus believed that atoms are impossible to divide and that they were all exactly the same. Also that all matter was made up of atoms. He also believed that spiritual and physical things were composed of atoms. If it wasn’t for Democritus, the atomic bomb would be made differently and scientists such as Bohr and Oppenheimer would have had totally different outcomes on their theories. His influence was his close mentor Leucippus who taught him most of what he knew. -
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle was the first to use the term element to describe matter that can’t be broken down further. He proved that air has a mass. He also proved a theory that the amount of space gas takes up decreases as pressure is applied. Galileo’s death and John Wilkens (a philosopher) were Robert Boyles main influences. If it wasn’t for his discoveries, we wouldn’t understand how the atmosphere works and how we can co exist with it. -
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton proposed a mechanical universe with small solid masses in motion. He discovered that atoms are held together with forces. He said that "matter is formed of solid, massy impenetrable particles”. Isaac was influenced by astronomers and mathematicians such as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Descartes. He influenced the atomic world by contributing to how the universe works, and combined many new isolated physics work that have been discovered. -
John Dalton
He discovered that atoms of different elements have different weights and that they could be distinguished by this. This theory proposed other ideas: All atoms of the same element are identical, Different elements have different types of atoms, Compounds are formed from atoms of the basic elements. John was influenced by English philosopher John Gough. His discovery changed the way we look at atoms by showing us ththe way we look at atoms by showing us the many different properties of atoms. -
G.J Stoney
G.J Stoney said that electricity was made of separate negative particles called electrons. He was influenced by the man he worked for called Lord Rosse. G.J Stoney changed the view of atoms properties by proving that electrons exist inside atoms. -
Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Mendeleev gave us the periodic table of elements. He was Influenced by John Dalton. His discovery helped change the view of atoms properties by showing us how to order them. The image is of Dmitri’s periodic table. -
JJ Thomson
JJ Thomson was first to find electrons and negatively charged particles within atoms. He was influenced by the discovery of x-ray and the work of James Clerk Maxwell. His discovery changed the views on atoms by proving that electrons exist, which count for some of the weight in atoms, and which balance the positive charge in the nucleus. -
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford discovered that atoms have a positively charged nucleus with electrons orbiting. He also discovered the nucleolus. Ernest was influenced by James Chadwick which was who he worked with. He was also influenced by his mentor at Canterbury College, Alexander Bickerton. Without Ernest Rutherford’s discoveries, there ay not be enough technology and research to be able to detect submarines in the war. This image shows how he made his discovery. -
Francis William Aston
Francis William Aston discovered that isotopes did exist. He did this through using a mass spectrograph. His influences were the discovery of x-rays made by Wilhelm Rontgen. This image is of Francis William Aston using a mass spectrograph. -
Neils Bohr
Neils Bohr was influenced by his dad who was a physiology professor. His most important contribution to science was his atomic model. He said that electrons only travel in certain continually larger orbits and also that the outer orbits could hold more electrons that the ones inside and that the outer orbits decide the atoms chemical properties. Even though the model of the atom he made wasn’t completely right, it is still widely used today and gave us a rough idea of what an atom looks like. -
Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Schrödinger’s proposed a model of the atom in which electrons moved in a cloud rather than in precise paths. He also made an equation that determines how to find the probability for where the electron is in an atom. The equation is now said to be the basis for atomic physics and chemistry. His influences were from all the teachers and lecturers from all the universities he attended. His main influencer was Arthur Schopenhauer. -
James Chadwick
James Chadwick proved the existence of neutrons. He was influenced by his university professor Hans Geiger. Without James Chadwick’s discovery, scientists would still be trying to prove the existence of neutrons in atoms. -
Louis de Broglie
Louis de Broglie discovered that electrons had a double nature-similar to both particles and waves. His influences were his brother Maurice and by the Poincare masterworks. -
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi lead the first controlled chain reaction releasing energy from the atoms nucleus. He said that he was his only influence. Enrico created the first ever nuclear reaction chain which developed a bomb that could destroy an entire city. So without this invention, there would be no bomb that existed. -
Murray Gellman
Murray Gellman discovered the quark theory which states that protons and neutrons are made up of even smaller particles called quarks. His father was his main influence.
