Question

put the contributions to the understanding of the atomic structure in order from most recent at the top to the earliest at the bottom

Answer 1

Answer:

From Top to Bottom:

- Democritus coming up with the concept of an atom

- Dalton discovering that atoms are the smallest part of an element

- Rutherford discovering the nucleus of an atom

- Thomson discovering electrons

- Bohr modeling electrons orbiting the nucleus

- Schrodinger modeling electrons in the electron cloud

Explanation:

The best way to think about this is from the inside out. Democrats (who lived long before any of the other scientists mentioned) was the one who thought of the idea of the atom. - Therefore, this must be first because all other choices are elaborations on the idea that atoms exist. Next must be Dalton. Dalton saw atoms as "cannonballs" if you will; a solid mass. So then after that, Rutherford and his gold foil experiment (he discovered that some rays he shot through gold foil were deflected back; ie the existence of concentrated areas in an atom, ie the nucleus). Then we get into the information on electrons. We must start with discovery (Thomson). Heres where it gets complicated. Electrons don't actually orbit the nucleus, they exist in electron clouds. So it would be Bohr, who came up with the idea that electron exist outside the nucleus, then Schrodinger, who elaborated on Bohr's theory. Hope this helps!

Nat, Junior

Accel + AP Chem student