Atomic Theory

Cut Paper in Half You will be cutting a piece of paper in half over and over again until you cannot cut the paper in half anymore, but first make a prediction on how many times you will be able to cut the paper in half. Prediction: I predict I will cut the paper in half ______ Times.

Start by cutting the piece of paper in half Start by cutting the piece of paper in half. Keep one half and throw the other half away. Cut the half piece of paper in half again and throw away one of the halves. Continue to cut the piece of paper in half until you cannot cut the paper any more.

Record your data How many times where you able to cut the piece of paper in half? ____________________________________

Ponder If I were able to keep cutting the piece of paper in half with a microscope and micro scissors. I would be able to cut it ________________ times. How does this activity relate to an atom or atomic theory? ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

History One of the first atomic theorists was Democritus, a Greek philosopher who lived in the fifth century BC. He called these small pieces of matter "atomos," the Greek word for indivisible or uncuttable. Democritus, theorized that atoms were specific to the material which they were composed.

Define What does indivisible or uncuttable mean? ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

Ponder Was Democritus accurate in naming the atom an atomos – indivisible or uncuttable? ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ BTW: It take about 76 cuts to get the paper to the size of an atom.