Atomic Modeling in the Early 20th Century: 1904 - 1913

TL;DR

This paper reviews early 20th-century atomic models proposed by Thomson, Nagaoka, Rutherford, and Bohr, highlighting their historical context, experimental motivations, and their role in advancing atomic theory despite inaccuracies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive historical analysis of key atomic models from 1904 to 1913, emphasizing their significance in the development of atomic physics.

Findings

All models were later shown to be incomplete or incorrect.

Each model contributed to the understanding of atomic structure.

Experimental work motivated the development of new atomic models.

Abstract

The scope of this paper is to discuss the major works that appeared in the period of 1904 to 1913: atomic models proposed by Thomson and Hantaro Nagaoka (1904), Rutherford (1911), and Bohr (1913), and the experimental work that motivated them. It will be seen that, although all of the models discussed here were later shown to be incorrect or incomplete, each one represented an essential step towards an understanding of the nature of matter, a view of the physical world often taken for granted a century down the road.