The Concept of the Atom


From:

    http://www.neutron.anl.gov/hyper-physics/histatom.html

They state:

"History of the atom: In the 5th cent. B.C. the Greek philosophers Democritus and Leucippus proposed that matter was made up of tiny, indivisible particles in constant motion. Aristotle, however, did not accept the theory, and it was ignored for centuries. Modern atomic theory began with the publication in 1808 by John Dalton of his experimental conclusions that all atoms of an element have same size and weight, and that atoms of elements unite chemically in simple numerical ratios (as molecules) to form compounds. In 1911 Ernest Rutherford explained an atom's structure in terms of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons orbiting around it. In 1913 Niels Bohr used quantum theory to explain why electrons could remain in certain allowed orbits without radiating energy. The development of quantum mechanics during the 1920s resulted in a satisfactory explanation of all phenomena related to the role of electrons in atoms."

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The theory that there are 'atoms' has helped advance modern science greatly. But, could such a theory color our view of the universe and blind us to what's really going on?

Atoms were seen as a point of action, a center of mass, and a place where forces act. Furthermore, atoms are given attributes such as mass, spin, velosity, etc.

Graphically, here's a screen shot of how we represent atoms. 'Click Here'

But, could we, for the moment, suspend the concept of the 'atom'? Further, lets dismiss all attributes of the atom (such as mass) as fundamental quantities, but rather, see them as ALL derivable, and a consequence of this theory presented?

But, suppose we didn't have 'atoms', what else is there?

What's opposite a point?

Everything else that's not the point. We can call this the un-atom and describe it as the space around the atom.

Graphically, you can see an un-atom screen shot by 'Clicking Here'.

The screen shots were generated by world8. You can get the source code by 'Clicking Here'. You can toggle between the Atom and the UnAtom by clicking on the 'UnAtom' button on the left of the screen.