The Atomic Enigma
Jarrett Dunn
Senior Mathematics Major
Mathematics and Computer Science
Albion College
The basic idea of my presentation is that I will be telling the story of the atom and how our ideas of the atom have changed over time. Our view of the atom provides a good reflection on how physics has evolved and what we understand about nature at any given point in time. I also plan on handing out a paper that represents some of the work done by Niels Bohr. I want the audience to know that there is math involved in our understanding of the atom. So my presentation is mostly historical, but I plan to stress at the end that the story of the atom continues to evolve as it is always changing. I will be providing a gateway into quantum physics, but I will also highlight the fact that quantum physics cannot be the final say in physics.