Download The Atom -From Philosophical Idea to Scientific Theory Introduction

The Atom -From Philosophical Idea to Scientific Theory
Introduction: If you were asked to draw the structure of an atom, what would you draw?
Throughout history scientists have accepted five atomic models. Our perception of the atom has
changed from the early Greek model because of clues or evidences that have been gathered
through scientific experiments. As more evidence was gathered old models were discarded or
improved upon. Your goal is to trace the atomic theory through history.
Task: You and your partner will search the Internet to learn more about the scientists and
discoveries that have led to our current knowledge of the structure of the atom.
Using your research, construct a timeline as a visual representation of the development of modern
atomic theory.
Draw the five historical models of the atom - Democritus, Thomson's Plum Pudding, Rutherford,
Bohr, Modern Electron Cloud
Process: Take notes from pages 64-74 in the Modern Chemistry textbook and from online sources.
Include the following on your timeline:
1. Names of all 15 scientists in the table below
2. The year of the scientists discovery
3. In 1-2 sentences tell the importance of the discovery that relates to the structure of the
atom (some of these people did many types of research)
4. On the back of the paper draw the five historical models of the atom – Democritus,
Thomson's Plum Pudding, Rutherford, Bohr, Modern Electron Could model. Draw 4
Venn diagrams to compare/contrast each model with the subsequent model.
Marie &
James
Ernest
Antoine
John Dalton
Pierre Curie
Chadwick Rutherford Lavoisier
Henri
Robert
Michael
J.J. Thomson Democritus
Becquerel
Millikan
Faraday
Joseph Louis
Albert
Neils Bohr
Max Planck Aristotle
Proust
Einstein
A timeline is in chronological order – earliest time to latest time. Because you are going to keep
your comments to 1-2 sentences, a graph or report will not be appropriate.
Conclusion: This assignment is based on 100 points. This assignment will allow you to observe how
Atomic Theory started as a philosophical idea and through quantitative experimentation has been
developed to include the current Electron Cloud Model. You will see that as scientists discovered
more and more information they discarded parts of older theories to design an atomic model that
provided a more accurate representation of the atom. It is important for scientists to challenge
current theories and modify them as more knowledge becomes available. Your research provides
you with a historical perspective of our knowledge of the atom's structure.
Evaluation:
Category
Dates/Scientists
max 30 pt
5
All scientists
12 scientists
listed, dates are
listed or 3 out of
correct and in
order.
order.
30pt
Contribution to
Atomic
Theory
max 30 pt
4
24 pt
3
2
9 scientists
listed or 6 out
of order.
6 or fewer
scientists listed
or 9 out of
order.
18 pt
12 pt
4-6 errors 7-9 errors All contributions
2-3 errors contributions
contributions
listed and apply contributions not
not listed or do not listed or do
to Atomic
listed or do not
not apply to
not apply to
Theory.
apply to Atomic
Atomic Theory. Atomic Theory.
Theory.
30 pt
18 pt
12 pt
24 pt
3 models drawn 2 models drawn
All 5 models
4 models drawn
correctly and
correctly and
drawn correctly
correctly and
correctly
correctly
and correctly correctly named,
Models of Atoms
named, 2 Venn named, 1 Venn
named, 4 Venn
3 Venn
& Venn
diagrams
diagram
diagrams
diagrams
Diagrams to
compare/
compare/
compare/contrast
compare/
compare/contrast
contrast each
contrast each
each model with contrast each
model with
model with
subsequent
model with
subsequent
subsequent
max 30 pt
model.
subsequent
model.
model.
model.
30 pt
18 pt
12 pt
24 pt
Attractiveness
max 10 pt
Timeline and
Timeline and
Timeline and
Timeline and
models
models
models are
models
are acceptably
are exceptionally
attractive in
are messy with
attractive in
attractive in
terms of layout,
no use of color.
terms of layout,
terms of layout,
neatness, and
They are not
neatness, and
neatness, and use use of color.
attractive.
use of color.
of color.
8 pt
2 pt
5 pt
10 pt