Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I

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published by the Visionlearning
written by Anthony Carpi
supported by the National Science Foundation

Available Languages: English, Spanish

This classroom-tested learning module gives a condensed, easily-understood view of the development of atomic theory from the late 19th through early 20th century. The key idea was the discovery that the atom is not an "indivisible" particle, but consists of smaller constituents: the proton, neutron, and electron. It discusses the contributions of John Dalton, J.J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, and James Chadwick, whose experiments revolutionized the world view of atomic structure. See Related Materials for a link to Part 2 of this series.

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https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theor...

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
General Physics - History Modern Physics - Atomic Physics = Atomic Models	- High School - Middle School - Lower Undergraduate	- Instructional Material = Problem/Problem Set = Tutorial

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
- Learners - Educators	- text/html - application/flash	Currently 4.0/5 Rated 4.0 stars by 2 people Want to rate this material? Login here!

Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2003 VisionLearning
Additional information is available.
Keywords:: atomic structure, cathode ray experiment, electron, helium atom, history of atom, history of the atom, hydrogen atom, neutron, proton
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created July 12, 2011 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: August 4, 2016 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: January 1, 2006
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

Slightly oversimplified

Author: Mary Salit
Posted: December 25, 2011 at 8:32AM
Source: The Physics Front collection

In general this resource is a good introduction to the subject, and the misconceptions that it promotes are fairly minor and common ones. I understand that it may not be within the scope of the article to introduce quantum mechanics, etc. However, I could wish that it were written with a few more disclaimers, and a few hints that there is more to the story than what is told here. I am afraid that by oversimplifying it might give students the feeling that they understand completely, when, in fact, they don't. Not only does this lead to subtley wrong understandings of nature (which those who go on to become scientists will have to unlearn) but I think it makes the subject much less interesting. It is the mysteries which make physics exciting, and this subject is full of them, but this resource creates the impression that everything about atomic physics is well understood and easily explained, which may make it boring to students.

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

4. The Physical Setting

4D. The Structure of Matter

6-8: 4D/M1a. All matter is made up of atoms, which are far too small to see directly through a microscope.
9-12: 4D/H1. Atoms are made of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons. The nucleus is a tiny fraction of the volume of an atom but makes up almost all of its mass. The nucleus is composed of protons and neutrons which have roughly the same mass but differ in that protons are positively charged while neutrons have no electric charge.
9-12: 4D/H2. The number of protons in the nucleus determines what an atom's electron configuration can be and so defines the element. An atom's electron configuration, particularly the outermost electrons, determines how the atom can interact with other atoms. Atoms form bonds to other atoms by transferring or sharing electrons.

10. Historical Perspectives

10F. Understanding Fire

9-12: 10F/H1. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the idea of atoms reemerged in response to questions about the structure of matter, the nature of fire, and the basis of chemical phenomena.
9-12: 10F/H3. In the early 1800s, British chemist and physicist John Dalton united the concepts of atoms and elements. He proposed two ideas that laid the groundwork for modern chemistry: first, that elements are formed from small, indivisible particles called atoms, which are identical for a given element but different from any other element; and second, that chemical compounds are formed from atoms by combining a definite number of each type of atom to form one molecule of the compound.
9-12: 10F/H4. Dalton figured out how the relative weights of the atoms could be determined experimentally. His idea that every substance had a unique atomic composition provided an explanation for why substances were made up of elements in specific proportions.

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=11307">Carpi, Anthony. Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I. Visionlearning, January 1, 2006.</a>

AIP Format

A. Carpi, (Visionlearning, 2003), WWW Document, (https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50).

AJP/PRST-PER

A. Carpi, Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I (Visionlearning, 2003), <https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50>.

APA Format

Carpi, A. (2006, January 1). Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Visionlearning: https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50

Chicago Format

Carpi, Anthony. Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I. Visionlearning, January 1, 2006. https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50 (accessed 24 April 2024).

MLA Format

Carpi, Anthony. Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I. Visionlearning, 2003. 1 Jan. 2006. National Science Foundation. 24 Apr. 2024 <https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50>.

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@misc{ Author = "Anthony Carpi", Title = {Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I}, Publisher = {Visionlearning}, Volume = {2024}, Number = {24 April 2024}, Month = {January 1, 2006}, Year = {2003} }

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%A Anthony Carpi %T Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I %D January 1, 2006 %I Visionlearning %U https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50 %O text/html

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%0 Electronic Source %A Carpi, Anthony %D January 1, 2006 %T Visionlearning: Atomic Theory I %I Visionlearning %V 2024 %N 24 April 2024 %8 January 1, 2006 %9 text/html %U https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Atomic-Theory-I/50

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