Dustin George

-who were the main characters in the development of the atom?

Democritus, Dalton, Thomson, Becquerel, Rutherford, Chadwick, Bohr, and Muller

- Why were they vital to the development of the atom_ what made them different if anything?

• Democritus was the original one to theorize the idea that there was an indivisible unit of matter.
• Dalton made a (flawed) theory defining the properties of atoms
• Thomson discovered the electron
• Rutherford discovered protons.Chadwick discovered neutrons
• Bohr came up with the idea of a nucleus and shells of electrons making the first major atomic model.
• Muller helped proved the theory of shells of electrons by photographing metal crystals

- Think about your lessons in history and discuss how the time period that they lived in determined the outcome of their discovery/ or how it influenced those individuals to be the names that we know today (aka did it matter where they grew up or if they had money?)

Due to the many discoveries by philosophers happening during Greek times, Democritus would have had an atmosphere that would encourage deep thought. He would need to be of a high enough class so that he would have the time to think on such things instead of focusing on food.
The more modern scientists would also need to be of a higher class, or capable of receiving grants dues to the equipment costs of their experiments.


- Why do we consider the atomic theory still a theory? What are the new developments- would love for you to share new sources here about what you find?

The atomic theory is still a theory because it is still being added to and revised.
One such example would be hydrinos, hydrogen atoms that can exist in energy states not predicted by the quantum theory, discovered discovered in the past decade or so.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081026/FRONTIERS/286862798/1036/NATIONAL

- Why does it matter that we understand the structure of the atom?

It helps us understand how and why different atoms bond together.
This would allow for the discovery of different more efficient methods and materials.