What makes everyone think that atoms and electrons and such are real? I can't see them, I can't smell them, hear them, anything of the sort. I am relying completly on the word of my chemistry teacher. For all I know, this could be an elaborate hoax...like the moon landing (jk).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but still, I wonder if any of you can prove to me that they really exist without just like quoting some famous scientist that says they do.

Look at something with an ELECTRON microscope. The proof of these particles is endless.

*whisper* Hiroshima and Nagasaki *whisper*

 

 

 

Why don't you go visit one of those particle accelerator tube things, those scientists might straighten you out.

Its nothing provable with out an electron microscope....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTW!!!! Electrons are within atoms, and are known as subatomic particals. They go along with protons and neutrons.

Even if you don't have access to an electron microscope, there are dozens of chemical experiments you can perform right in your own home that will confirm the existance of molecular physics.

What makes everyone think that atoms and electrons and such are real? I can't see them, I can't smell them, hear them, anything of the sort. I am relying completly on the word of my chemistry teacher. For all I know, this could be an elaborate hoax...like the moon landing (jk).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but still, I wonder if any of you can prove to me that they really exist without just like quoting some famous scientist that says they do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I'm strapped for time at the moment, there is evidence out there that atoms do exist and no one doubts it. Some of the evidences and phisics side of things can get complicated and I don't pretend to understand all of it. I have studied chemistry for 2 years at a highschool level and a few weeks thus far at university level. I'd say your concernes are a tad misplaced or in other words there is nothing to suggest that matter is not made of atoms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd be interested to hear any evidence you could gather which reftues atmic theory though; good luck finding any if you do try.

Do you believe your spleen exists? I mean, I've never seen my spleen, touched it, smelled it, or seen anyone elses spleen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A simple experiment to see the effect of electrons: Get a baloon. Rub it on your hair on a cool, dry day. Move your hand close to the baloon, and the aligned atoms will pull at the hair of your skin.

Do you believe your spleen exists? I mean, I've never seen my spleen, touched it, smelled it, or seen anyone elses spleen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A simple experiment to see the effect of electrons: Get a baloon. Rub it on your hair on a cool, dry day. Move your hand close to the baloon, and the aligned atoms will pull at the hair of your skin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

well i've seen a rat's spleen.. :?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yeah, not much to this post...it'd be rediculously difficult to keep something like this underwraps, when molecules and atoms are seen so much everyday by scientists..

Thread failure? :uhh:

It was a hoax we wouldn't have nuclear power, and Chernobyl would've never happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh dear, I fear a Chernobyl conspiracy may be on the rise. :-w

Proof does not necessarily need to be visual. We didn't discover black holes by looking into the sky, they were a (controversial) solution to Einstein's equations discovered by theorists. We then knew what to look for so we could find them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the moment, we can't see individual atoms in any detail (although they are semi-visible with ultra powerful electron microscopes). But the theory and concept of atoms, electrons, neutrons and protons has stood up to every conceivable test that particle physics and chemistry can throw at it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, it's never as simple as your chemistry teacher makes it, but the existance is pretty fundamental.

Proof does not necessarily need to be visual. We didn't discover black holes by looking into the sky, they were a (controversial) solution to Einstein's equations discovered by theorists. We then knew what to look for so we could find them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the moment, we can't see individual atoms in any detail (although they are semi-visible with ultra powerful electron microscopes). But the theory and concept of atoms, electrons, neutrons and protons has stood up to every conceivable test that particle physics and chemistry can throw at it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, it's never as simple as your chemistry teacher makes it, but the existance is pretty fundamental.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In any detail would be subjective but there are electron microscope pictures out there (there's one in my uni text book for example) which clearly distinguishes two elements [in an ionic compound, I think] as bumps of different colours. What I'm getting as is that we will likely never see atoms in real life in perfect detail as light itself is emitted from excited electrons absorbing and emitting varies quanta of energy. What we see as human beings is the collection of a rediculous number of photons and I'd wager seeing say, a collection of 20 photons, is impossible to the human eye.

Is this a joke or does this person think he's got us in a corner and he can rant about some theistic garbage?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read up on what CERN are doing, pretty impressive stuff. Higgs Boson ftw.

Electrons are not IN an antom, they revolve aroud its core made out of protons and neutrons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just the fact that an atom can not be directly visualised (not even with an electron miscroscope. The person stating that was wrong) it can be done indirectly, I think with a scanning tunneling miscroscope. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. For even smaller, sub-atomic particles (like quarks, mesons etc), ther is ONLY indirect evidence available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asking for proof without me/us quoting some scientific source may be a bit far fetched. If you want to know the truth but don't want to put effert in it, believe your science teacher's word for it. Atoms, protons, neutrons and electrons are VERY real.

Electrons are not IN an antom, they revolve aroud its core made out of protons and neutrons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just the fact that an atom can not be directly visualised (not even with an electron miscroscope. The person stating that was wrong) it can be done indirectly, I think with a scanning tunneling miscroscope. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. For even smaller, sub-atomic particles (like quarks, mesons etc), ther is ONLY indirect evidence available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asking for proof without me/us quoting some scientific source may be a bit far fetched. If you want to know the truth but don't want to put effert in it, believe your science teacher's word for it. Atoms, protons, neutrons and electrons are VERY real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That person was probably me and I didn't mean to imply that what you see is an actual real life image of an atom, far from it actually. And you are right, the image in my text book is taken with a scanning tunnelling microscope. Sorry for the mistake there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a bit of info for anyone interested.

 

 

 

The STM is a non-optical microscope which employs principles of quantum mechanics. An atomically sharp probe (the tip) is moved over the surface of the material under study, and a voltage is applied between probe and the surface. Depending on the voltage electrons will "tunnel" (this is a quantum-mechanical effect) or jump from the tip to the surface (or vice-versa depending on the polarity), resulting in a weak electric current. The size of this current is exponentially dependent on the distance between probe and the surface. For a current to occur the substance being scanned must be conductive (or semiconductive). Insulators cannot be scanned through the STM, as the electron has no available energy state to tunnel into or out of due to the band gap structure in insulators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a link to a pic (it's a bit too big to post directly):

 

 

 

Scanning Tunnelling Microscope Schematic Diagram.

Just because you can't see soemthing directly doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can infer their existence through their effects. Just about every major scientific principles is based on the existence of these particles and without them, little of the technology around you would actually work or exist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's like say "Oh, prove the internet exists... coz I can't see it". No of course you can't see the data passing along cable at close to the speed of light, but you can see their effect i.e. online gaming, data sharing, even posting this moderately dumb thread in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same principle.

Well I can say that atleast atoms exist :P These I have seen with my own eyes with the help of a Scanning tunneling microscope on a trip to the physics lab to one of Estonia's universities.

Lol. This kid isn't very smart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just read what everyone else told you here.

I'm gonna get ravished for this, but...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's a spleen? >.<

I'm gonna get ravished for this, but...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's a spleen? >.<

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it's the place where your Red Blood Cells go to be terminated i believe, because they can't divide because of no nucleus, so they must be killed off, by the spleen. Heh, such a funny word

What will make them even harder for you to believe is that atoms are mostly empty space (something like a pea being the nucleus and an electron being a spec of sand several street blocks away), yet they make up everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's plenty of evidence, including regular home experiments which show how their existence affects the behavior of everything.

I cant taste magnetism. that doesnt exist either.

What will make them even harder for you to believe is that atoms are mostly empty space (something like a pea being the nucleus and an electron being a spec of sand several street blocks away), yet they make up everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's plenty of evidence, including regular home experiments which show how their existence affects the behavior of everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, in fact, the amount of nucleus in an atom is like... zero. Nothing. 10^-27 part of the atom's inhabited space is nucleus. So that means we consist pretty much of total emptyness. Everywhere you look, it's almost all vacuum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that's pretty amazing.

 

I'm gonna get ravished for this, but...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's a spleen? >.<

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it's the place where your Red Blood Cells go to be terminated i believe, because they can't divide because of no nucleus, so they must be killed off, by the spleen. Heh, such a funny word

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The major function of the spleen is for antigen-presenting-cells (macrophages that have taken up particles foreign to the body) to meet with the T and B lymfocytes for an inflammatory response from the specific immunosystem.

Uhh I'm sure about this, but is there technology to see wind?