Atomic theory

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/atomic-theory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Atomic Theory (as a scientific model and field of study)
2. How did scientists discover that atoms have a nucleus?Rutherford's gold foil experiment in 1911 showed that most of an atom is empty space, but a tiny, dense, positively charged center called the nucleus holds most of its mass.
3. Why did the plum pudding model get replaced?J.J. Thomson's plum pudding model had electrons spread inside a positive sphere, but Rutherford's experiment proved that electrons are far from the center, so the model was changed.

Quantum Mechanics: A fundamental theory in physics describing nature at the smallest scales of energy and matter.
Orbital: A region of space around an atom's nucleus where an electron is likely to be found.
Wave-Particle Duality: The concept that elementary particles can exhibit properties of both waves and particles.
Standard Model: A theory describing the fundamental particles and forces that make up all matter.