• Question: When was the first atom found?

    Asked by 11cyallop to Susana on 25 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Susana Teixeira

      Susana Teixeira answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Copper was one of the first elements discovered and used, way before the concept of an atom even existed. The idea of atoms came from a range of experimental evidence, gathered by different scientists on different materials like gold, hydrogen gases and many others. So I am not sure which would count as the very first to be honest….

      There are techniques today – like crystallography! – that allow us to build images or models of atoms. Here you can find for example how IBM moves atoms to make a tiny movie, which I find mind blowing:

Comments