The Question Of The Atom

Author : HELGE HOLST
Publisher : BEYOND BOOKS HUB
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 136 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Download or read book THE ATOM AND THE BOHR THEORY OF ITS STRUCTURE written by HELGE HOLST and published by BEYOND BOOKS HUB. This book was released on 2023-05-13 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, our knowledge of the activities in the interior of matter experienced a development which surpassed the boldest hopes that could have been entertained by the chemists and physicists of the nineteenth century. The smallest particles of chemistry, the atoms of the elements, which hitherto had been approached merely by inductive thought, now became tangible realities, so to speak, which could be counted and whose tracks could be photographed. A series of remarkable experimental investigations, stimulated largely by the English physicist, J. J. Thomson, had disclosed the existence of negatively charged particles, the so-called electrons, ⁴/₂₀₀₀ the mass of the smallest atom of the known elements. A theory of electrons, based on Maxwell’s classical electrodynamical theory and developed mainly through the labours of Lorentz in Holland and Larmor in England, had brought the problem of atomic structure into close connection with the theory of radiation. The experiments of Rutherford proved, beyond a doubt, that atoms were composed simply of light, negative electric particles, and small heavy, positive electric particles. The new “quantum theory” of Planck was proving itself very powerful in overcoming grave difficulties in the theory of radiation. The time thus seemed ripe for a comprehensive investigation of the fundamental problem of physics—the constitution of matter, and an explanation in terms of simple general laws of the physical and chemical properties of the atoms of the elements. During the first ten years of the new century the problem was attacked with great zeal by many scientists, and many interesting atomic models were developed and studied. But most of these had more significance for chemistry than for physics, and it was not until 1913 that the work of the Danish physicist, Niels Bohr, paved the way for a really physical investigation of the problem in a remarkable series of papers on the spectrum and atomic structure of hydrogen. The ideas of Bohr, founded as they were on the quantum theory, were startling and revolutionary, but their immense success in explaining the facts of experience after a time won for them the wide recognition of the scientific world, and stimulated work by other investigators along similar lines. The past decade has witnessed an enormous development at the hands of scientists in all parts of the world of Bohr’s original conceptions; but through it all Bohr has remained the leading spirit, and the theory which, at the present time, gives the most comprehensive view of atomic structure may, therefore, most properly bear the name of Bohr. It is the object of this book to give the reader a glimpse of the fundamental conceptions of this theory, together with some of the most significant results it has attained. The book is designed to meet the needs of those who wish to keep abreast of modern developments in science, but have neither time nor inclination to delve into the highly mathematical abstract literature in which the developments are usually concealed. It is with this in mind that the first four chapters have been devoted to a general survey of those parts of physics and chemistry which have close connection with atomic theory. No attempt has been made at a mathematical development, and the physical meaning of such mathematical formulæ as do occur has been clearly emphasized in the text. It is hoped, however, that even those readers whose acquaintance with atomic theory is more than casual, will find the book a stimulus to further study of the Bohr theory. Here we wish to record our best thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay for the ability and the great care with which they have carried out the translation from the Danish original...FROM THE BOOKS