Historical Perspectives

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND GROWTH THROUGHOUT HISTORY

Scientific studies are typically ongoing processes. The premise of the original study may be rejected by some scientists and supported by others. It is essential to realize that currently accepted scientific models evolve as scientists continue to study all of the previous research. In some cases, entire theories are changed based on newly emerging evidence. As strange as this may seem today, there was a time in ancient history when it was thought that the world was flat. This early theory has been discarded due to evidence proving that the earth is round. Still, scientific research can often be limited by the tools, information, and experiences available to the scientist. Scientific research and technology often aid each other. Early theories of the planets placed the earth at the center of the solar system. It was generally accepted that humans were the most important beings, so everything in the universe must revolve around us. Today, we know that the sun is the center of our solar system, and the planets orbit the sun. Technological advances, such as the telescope, have helped prove the current model, which we now know to be true.

The atomic theory is another theory well known that has changed over time. In most cases, entire theories or models are not entirely discarded. The theory or model is revised as new research adds clarity and details that were not wholly understood earlier. A scientist named Dalton theorized in 1803 that an atom was simply a solid sphere, and this theory was accepted for nearly 100 years. In 1897, J.J. Thomson stated that an atom was a ball of positive electricity with harmful particles embedded in it. Bohr and Rutherford built upon this research in the early 1900s. They concluded that an atom was made of a positively charged center orbited by electrons and these electrons orbited the nucleus much like the planets orbit the sun. The electron cloud model was proposed in 1926 and changed the thinking on how electrons orbit the nucleus.

John Dalton

Dalton’s most influential work in chemistry was his atomic theory, published in 1808. This theory states, among other things, that each chemical element has atoms that vary in shape and size.

Ernest Rutherford

One of the great pioneers in nuclear physics, Ernest Rutherford, discovered radioactivity, explained the role of radioactive decay in the phenomenon of radioactivity, and proved that the positive electric charge in every atom is concentrated in a nucleus at the heart of the atom. Rutherford was also the first to transmute one chemical element into another artificially.

Today, continuing research is causing us to redefine our thinking on the structure of an atom. The earlier studies provided excellent information about the atom, and new studies improved on the earlier models. The previous theories are not discarded but are revised. Scientific research has now proven that atoms are composed of smaller parts than protons, neutrons, and electrons. These new subatomic particles are continually being studied as technology and science develop better tools to conduct better research. As science advances, the knowledge of how to create better technology emerges, and we continue to see how science and technology complement each other.

Although many fundamental scientific theories may have roots dating back hundreds or even thousands of years ago, they continue to impact our lives. Newton’s laws have been a fundamental part of our scientific knowledge for years and are used in building many modern devices. Newton’s laws influence things as simple as the shoes you are wearing to the highly technical space shuttle that carries astronauts into space. The effects of scientific discoveries have had profound influences on society throughout time, with those effects being positive as well as harmful. Nuclear science has provided many significant advances, such as nuclear power, which is very abundant, clean, and cost-effective. The use of nuclear bombs, however, threatens to end life on the planet as it is now known.