Meet the scientists
He was the ancient Greek philosopher who first suggested around 440 B.C.E. that everything in the world was made of tiny particles
Who is Democritus?
The word "atom" comes from the ancient Greek word atomos, which translates to this English word.
What is indivisible?
Popular philosopher Aristotle completely disagreed with the idea of atoms, believing instead that everything was made of these four basic elements.
What are Earth, Wind, Fire and Water?
This lightweight gas fills up birthday balloons and makes them float high into the air.
What is helium?
If you look closely at the chemical symbols, this element is the only one named after an American state, honoring the place where it was artificially created.
What is Californium?
This 19th-century Quaker teacher challenged old ideas by showing that common substances always broke down into the exact same elements
Who is John Dalton?
Discovered by J.J. Thomson, these parts of the atom carry a negative electrical charge.
What are electrons?
J.J. Thomson visualized the atom as a uniformly packed positive sphere filled with negative electrons, a concept often compared to this sweet baked treat.
What is chocolate chip cookie dough OR plum pudding model?
Taking up atomic number 1, this highly flammable element is the most abundant and lightest ingredient in the entire universe.
What is Hydrogen?
This element's symbol is a single K, which comes from its ancient Latin name Kalium, but you probably know it as the nutrient packed inside bananas.
What is potassium?
In 1897, this physicist discovered the electron and won a Nobel Prize for it in 1906
Who is J.J. Thomson?
Ernest Rutherford concluded that most of an atom's mass is packed right into this dense, positively charged center
What is the nucleus?
Before his experiment, Rutherford expected his particles to punch right through the gold foil like tennis balls flying through this delicate household item.
What is a thin paper screen?
This smelly, bright yellow element is found near volcanoes and hot springs, and it is the secret ingredient that gives rotten eggs their terrible odor.
What is sulfur?
While most element names sound like ancient myths, this super-heavy element discovered in 2010 was named to honor Russia's capital city.
What is Moscovium?
Known as the "father of the nuclear age," he discovered the atom's dense center by shooting tiny particles at a thin sheet of gold foil
Who is Ernest Rutherford?
While scientists used to think electrons traveled in perfect paths, we now know they exist within a range of unpredictable locations called this modern model.
What is the quantum model?
Because it suggested electrons move around a central nucleus at fixed distances, Niels Bohr's concept became known as this out-of-this-world model.
What is the planetary model?
This shiny metal element is a superhero at conducting electricity, making it the perfect choice to hide inside almost all the wiring in your home.
The periodic table isn't organized like a regular list; instead, the elements are sorted based on this specific "atomic" value.
What is the atomic number? (also = number of protons)
This student of Thomson expanded Rutherford's work to argue that electrons travel around the nucleus at fixed distances, like planets orbiting a star
Who is Niels Bohr?
Werner Heisenberg formulated this famous rule, stating that it is impossible to know both the exact speed and exact location of an electron at the same time.
What is the uncertainty principle?
At the end of the video, the narrator celebrates the triumph of atomic theory using this colorful explosive display, which gets its colors from shifting electron energy levels.
What are fireworks?
Even though it is a shiny metal, this element at room temperature acts like a liquid and is nicknamed "quicksilver."
What is Mercury?
This lone letter of the alphabet is completely missing from the periodic table, as not a single element's symbol uses it.
What is "J"?