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Questions and Answers
What is the fundamental building block of matter?
What is the fundamental building block of matter?
What was a major challenge for scientists at the end of the 19th century?
What was a major challenge for scientists at the end of the 19th century?
What was one of the first indications that atoms are not indivisible?
What was one of the first indications that atoms are not indivisible?
What is the focus of Chapter 4?
What is the focus of Chapter 4?
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What do atoms and molecules constitute?
What do atoms and molecules constitute?
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Study Notes
Atom
- The fundamental building block of matter is the atom.
- Atoms are the smallest unit of an element that retains the chemical properties of that element.
Physics at the End of the 19th Century
- At the end of the 19th century, physicists believed they understood most of the fundamental laws of physics.
- A major challenge for scientists at the time was explaining the behavior of light.
- Scientists were puzzled because some experiments indicated that light behaved like a wave, while others indicated that it behaved like a particle.
Discovery of Subatomic Particles
- One of the first indications that atoms are not indivisible came from the discovery of subatomic particles.
- Experiments by J.J. Thomson in 1897 demonstrated the existence of electrons, negatively charged particles within atoms. This discovery challenged the prevailing view that atoms were indivisible.
Understanding Atoms and Molecules
- Chapter 4 focuses on understanding atoms and molecules.
- Atoms and molecules constitute all matter.
- The properties of matter are determined by the structure of atoms and molecules.
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Description
Test your knowledge about the structure of atoms with this quiz. Explore the differences between atoms of different elements and the concept of indivisibility proposed by Dalton.
