#2100: Models of the Atom

[Heading:]

Models of the Atom

over time

[What follows is a progression of depictions of atoms.]

[A ball.]

1810

Small hard ball model

[A ‘pudding’ inside of which there are electrons.]

1904

Plum pudding model

[A ball, with four birds perched on it and two of them singing.]

1907

Tiny bird model

[A ball with electrons orbiting chaotically, in all directions, around it.]

1911

Rutherford model

[A ball with electrons circling around it.]

1913

Bohr model

[A nunchuck swinging, with the left stick filled with protons and the right stick filled with electrons.]

1928

Nunchuck model

[A nucleus with protons and neutrons, with electrons circling around it like the Bohr model.]

1932

Chadwick model

[A pie chart. 38% is allocated to neutrons, 31% to protons, and 31% to electrons.]

2008

538 model

[A nucleus with clover-like orbitals around it and surrounded by two outer partly dashed circles.]

Today

Quantum model

[A ball surrounded with numbers.]

Future

“Small hard ball surrounded by math” model