Quantum Physics

CHAPTER4

Early Atomic Theory

In This Chapter

• The concept of the atom as the fundamental particle of nature
• Chemical elements, the ingredients of all material things
• The discovery of sub-atomic particles, and its implication
• Early models of atomic structure

We have now learned about the greatest triumphs of classical physics, summed up nicely by Newton’s laws of motion and Maxwell’s equations along with a dab of thermodynamics. In this chapter, we will see how eighteenth and nineteenth century physicists applied these concepts to explore the microscopic world—the domain of quantum physics.

We will learn how scientists at that time resurrected ...