The History of the Atom
Timeline: 400 BC
Scientist: Democritus (Greek Philosopher)
Democritus was a Greek philosopher who was
the first person to use the term atom (atomos:
meaning indivisible).
He thought that if you take a piece of matter
and divide it and continue to divide it you will
eventually come to a point where you could not
divide it any more. This fundamental or basic unit was what Democritus called an
atom.
He called this the theory of the universe:
All matter consists of atoms, which are bits of matter too small to be
seen.
There is an empty space between atoms
Atoms are completely solid
Atoms have no internal structure
Each atom (of a different substance) is different in size, weight and
shape.