Structure of the Atom

Donatello, Therese                      Weber High School
                                        1-312-637-7500
                          

Objectives

1. Students will learn basic facts about the Dalton, Thomson, and Rutherford concepts 
   of the atom. 
2. Perform a phenomenological activity to illustrate the various concepts of the 
   atom. 

Equipment and Materials

Boxes                             paper clips
cardboard                         tape
coat hangers                      styrofoam balls
marbles                           heavy gauge plastic
1"x2" piece of wood               felt

Recommended Strategies

Preparation of boxes:
    Make a cut across the front and back of the boxes high enough for a marble to 
roll through. Place a piece of coat hanger 1 cm from the top of the box through the 
uncut sides of the boxes.  Cut a piece of cardboard long enough for a 15 cm apron in 
front of the box and a 30 cm piece protruding from the back of the box. Cut a piece 
of felt large enough to cover the 30 cm protruding piece of cardboard. Tape the felt 
to the cardboard. Make sides to enclose the 30 cm piece of cardboard. Attach 
styrofoam balls to one another to fit across the bottom of box one, then attach them 
to the coat hanger at the top of the box. Hang heavy guage plastic from the coat 
hanger in box two. Hang three or four styrofoam balls, with spaces between them, from 
the coat hanger in box three. 

Other equipment and instructions:
     Make a groove in the 1"x2" piece of wood the width of the marble. Make a work 
sheet using the phenomenological approach for the use of the boxes. 

Comparisons:
     Box one illustrates John Dalton's theory of the atom being solid. Box two 
illustrates J.J. Thomson's theory of a nebular atom. Box three illustrates 
Rutherford's idea of the atom being mostly empty space around a solid core. 

Follow up activities:
     Illustrate the main theories of the atom.  Write summaries of other scientist's 
work on the structure of the atom.  Make a model of the Bohr atom.