THEORY

AGENDA 1 Solid Sphere Model

2 Plum Pudding Model

3 Nuclear Model

4 Planetary Model

5 Quantum Model
 ATOMIC THEORY TIMELINE

1803 1897 1911 1913 1920s

Solid Sphere Plum Pudding Nuclear Planetary Quantum

John J.J.
Dalton Thomson
Atoms are dense and solid, Atoms are described as
with no internal structure or uniform, positively charged
subatomic particles spheres with electrons
considered. embedded within them,
similar to raisins in a pudding.
Ernest Rutherford
Atom consists of a small,
dense, positively charged
nucleus at the center, with
electrons orbiting around it,
similar to planets orbiting
around the sun.
Niels
Bohr
Electrons move in quantized,
discrete energy levels around
the nucleus and emit or absorb
energy when transitioning
between levels.
Erwin Schrödinger
Electrons do not have definite
orbits, but are described by
wave functions that represent
probability distributions of
their locations.
JOHN DALTON
1766 - 1844

• British chemist and physicist

• Proposed the Solid Sphere Model in the early 19th century

• Shifted from philosophical ideas to scientific theory

• First atomic model based on experimental evidence and quantitative observations
• Paved the way for the development of modern atomic theories
SOLID According to this theory, atoms are tiny balls that can't be broken and are
SPHERE all made of the same material. This theory helped explain how different
chemicals mix together and what makes them different.
MODEL
ATOMIC THEORY

1803
LIMITATIONS

• Couldn’t explain differences in atomic mass within an element (isotopes)

• Didn’t account for the presence of subatomic particles like protons, neutrons, and
electrons
• Couldn’t explain the behavior of atoms in chemical reactions
 • English physicist known for his work on the nature of electrons
• Proposed the Plum Pudding Model in the late 19th century

• Discovered electrons as distinct particles

J.J. THOMSON • Shifted understanding from indivisible atom to subatomic
particles
1856 - 1940 • Paved the way for further exploration of atomic structure
PLUM According to this theory, atoms are like plum pudding, with tiny positive

PUDDING charges scattered throughout a cloud of negative electrons. This theory

helped explain why atoms have a neutral charge overall and why they emit

MODEL
light when they collide with each other.

ATOMIC THEORY

1897

LIMITATIONS • Couldn’t explain why electrons didn’t collapse into the positive sphere
• Failed to predict the distribution and arrangement of electrons
• Lacked explanation for the nucleus and its positive charge
ERNEST RUTHERFORD
1871 - 1937

• New Zealand-born physicist known for his contributions to nuclear physics

• Introduced the Nuclear Model in the early 20th century

• First model to propose a central, massive nucleus

• Explained the behavior of positively charged alpha particles in the gold foil
experiment
• Laid the groundwork for understanding atomic structure and radioactivity
ATOMIC THEORY According to this theory, atoms have a nucleus with a positive charge
and most of the mass, surrounded by electrons that orbit like planets. It
1911
explains why particles can pass through or bounce off atoms, and is the
basis of our current understanding of atomic structure.

NUCLEAR MODEL
LIMITATIONS
• Didn't explain the stability of the nucleus against electrostatic repulsion
• Lacked details about electron orbits and energy levels
• Didn't incorporate the principles of quantum mechanics
NIELS BOHR
1885 - 1962

• Danish physicist known for his pioneering work in atomic

structure
• Proposed the Planetary Model in the early 20th century

• Explained atomic spectra with precision

• Introduced the concept of quantized energy levels
• Bridged classical physics with emerging quantum mechanics
ATOMIC THEORY
PLANETARY MODEL
1913

According to this theory, electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom in

specific energy levels or shells. This theory helped explain why
atoms emit light and why they absorb certain colors of light. It
also helped explain the stability of atoms and why they don't fall
apart.

LIMITATIONS
• Limited to explaining the hydrogen atom
• Couldn't account for the behavior of multi-electron atoms
• Didn't incorporate the wave-like nature of electrons
ERWIN SCHRÖDINGER
1887 - 1961

• Austrian physicist renowned for his contributions to quantum mechanics

• Proposed the Quantum Model in the 1920s

• Quantum mechanics provides a comprehensive understanding of electron behavior

• Schrödinger's model successfully explains multi-electron atoms
• Quantum mechanics is the foundation of modern atomic theory
ATOMIC THEORY According to this theory, electrons exist as a probable wave-like
pattern around the nucleus, not in a specific orbit. It explains why
1920s
electrons act like particles and waves, and is the foundation of our
understanding of atomic structure and widely used in modern physics.

QUANTUM MODEL

LIMITATIONS • Mathematical complexity of the model

• Requires advanced mathematics to calculate electron probabilities
• Doesn't provide a simple visual representation of atomic structure
Time to test your knowledge of the

THEORY
QUESTION
IF ATOMS ARE SOLID SPHERES, WHAT WOULD
HAPPEN IF YOU TRIED TO CUT ONE IN HALF?
ANSWER

Type your response here.

QUESTION
IF ATOMS ARE SOLID SPHERES, WHAT WOULD
HAPPEN IF YOU TRIED TO CUT ONE IN HALF?
ANSWER

In the Solid Sphere Model, atoms were believed to be indivisible, so you couldn't actually cut one in
half. It was thought that atoms were the smallest, fundamental building blocks of matter.
QUESTION
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DISTRIBUTION OF
"RAISINS" (ELECTRONS) IN THIS ATOMIC PUDDING?
ANSWER

Type your response here.

QUESTION
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DISTRIBUTION OF
"RAISINS" (ELECTRONS) IN THIS ATOMIC PUDDING?
ANSWER

In the Plum Pudding Model, the "raisins" (electrons) were thought to be scattered throughout the
positive "pudding" (atom). So, the distribution of electrons was assumed to be relatively uniform
within the atom.
QUESTION
WHAT DID RUTHERFORD'S GOLD FOIL EXPERIMENT
REVEAL ABOUT THE ATOMIC NUCLEUS?
ANSWER

Type your response here.

QUESTION
WHAT DID RUTHERFORD'S GOLD FOIL EXPERIMENT
REVEAL ABOUT THE ATOMIC NUCLEUS?
ANSWER

Rutherford's gold foil experiment revealed that most of the atom's mass is concentrated in a small,
positively charged nucleus at the center. This discovery overturned the idea of a uniformly distributed
positive charge.
QUESTION WHY MIGHT ELECTRONS BE COMPARED TO
PLANETS IN A SOLAR SYSTEM WITHIN BOHR'S
MODEL?
ANSWER

Type your response here.

QUESTION WHY MIGHT ELECTRONS BE COMPARED TO
PLANETS IN A SOLAR SYSTEM WITHIN BOHR'S
MODEL?
ANSWER

Bohr's Planetary Model drew an analogy between electrons orbiting the nucleus and planets orbiting
the sun. It simplified the complex behavior of electrons, suggesting they had quantized energy levels
like planets have orbits.
QUESTION WHY MIGHT ELECTRONS BE COMPARED TO
PLANETS IN A SOLAR SYSTEM WITHIN BOHR'S
MODEL?
ANSWER

How does Schrödinger's cat relate to the concept of electron probability clouds in the Quantum Model?
QUESTION WHY MIGHT ELECTRONS BE COMPARED TO
PLANETS IN A SOLAR SYSTEM WITHIN BOHR'S
MODEL?

Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment in quantum mechanics, not directly related to electrons.
ANSWER

However, it illustrates the probabilistic nature of quantum systems, similar to how electrons are
described by probability clouds in the Quantum Model. The cat is in a superposition of states (both
alive and dead) until observed, much like electrons can exist in multiple states until measured.
THANKS FOR