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Democritus' only belief about atoms was that they were one of the possibilities when debating the structure of matter.
The Ancient Greeks loved to debate things, with a very strong liking for the abstract. One of the essentials for a debate is that one or more people should support one side, and one or more should support the other. If everyone agrees on something no debate is possible, which the Greeks would have regarded as no fun at all.
The original question was "Can matter be divided indefinitely, or will you eventually find a small unit which can not be further divided ?". Democritus argued that there was a limit, after which things become indivisible. The Greek word for indivisible was atomos from which we got the word atom. Many people feel that the word atom and the very concept of indivisibility,were the only two things of interest that came out of this great debate.
In fact, there was one more thing, that was conspicuous only by its absence. The Greeks argued, and argued, and argued; they discussed and debated and argued, and they talked and they talked and they talked. Not once did the Greeks look for evidence. Did they do lots of experiments ? Oh my goodness ! No! None at all. Not one. An experiment would have meant doing rather than talking; doing was work and work was done by slaves (of which they had many). No Greek would demean himself by working.
It is difficult for us, at this remove, to pass any judgment on the Greeks viewpoint. What we can say, with 20/20 hindsight, is that the Greeks contributed remarkably little to engineering and even less to physics or chemistry. However, their contribution to politics, philosophy and mathematics is a stunning legacy. They did much more than their share for the advancement of human knowledge.
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∙ 12y ago
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∙ 12y agoDemocritus characterized atoms as indestructible and indivisible.Also atoms can't be created or destroyed. Many people didn't want to believe Democritus because he had no proof.
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∙ 12y agoAfter the hypothesis of Leucippus and Democritus atoms are indivisible particles; atoms forms all the beings and materials in the universe.
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∙ 9y agoDemocritus classified atoms as things are composed of minute, invisible, indestructible particles of pure matter that move freely.
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∙ 14y agoThe Demokritos's' idea about atoms is that all mater can be divided until it was no longer possible to divide it any further and this tiny particle was the atom.
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∙ 9y agoThe Democritus characterize is what creates atoms. The Democritus characterize is known to be invisible.
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∙ 6y agoAn atom is an indivisible part of all matter.
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∙ 6y agoDemocritus supposed that all the world is formed from indivisible atoms.
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What was Democritus's definition of an atom?
An atom, according to Democritus, is a type of inert solid that works mechanically with other atoms. He said that everything was comprised of atoms, they could not be destroyed, and they are and will always be in motion.
How many many atoms and what kinds of atoms are in C6H8O6?
There are 20 atoms and there are 6 Carbon atoms, 8 Hydrogen atoms, 6 Oxygen atoms.
What elements are in C10H16O3N2S?
10 atoms of carbon16 atoms of hydrogen3 atoms of oxygen2 atoms of nitrogen1 atom of sulphur
How many atoms of hydrogen in cinnamon?
there is infinity + atoms because atoms are mad out of atoms so it keeps going
How many atoms are in the element C8H12?
C8H12 8 Carbon atoms + 12 Hydrogen atoms = 20 atoms total
Why did the ancient Greeks reject Democritus' ideas about atoms?
The greeks rejected democritus's idea because they thought that there was something smaller than the atoms.
What was demicritus ideas?
Democritus formulated the first atomic theory. He said that atoms were tiny and constantly moving. Democritus was a Greek philosopher.
What is the name of the scientist credited with reviving Democritus' ideas regarding matter and atoms?
John dalton (Cheaters)
Was not among Democritus and ideas Matter consists of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms retain their identity in a chemical reaction. Atoms are indestructible. Atoms are indivisible.?
All is true; theory of Leukippus and Democritus was 2 500 yers ago only a theretical (but correct) supposition.
How did Dalton advance the atomic philosophy propose by democritus?
By using experimental methods Dalton transformed Democritus ideas on atoms into a scientific theory.
Why did it take 2000 years for scientists to confirm some of Democritus ideas about atoms?
Democritus gave a theory, but Aristotle shut him out. Everybody forgot about this, and there was no one looking into this, no progress was being made.
Why did it take 2000 years for scientists to confirm some of Democritus's ideas about atoms?
Democritus gave a theory, but Aristotle shut him out. Everybody forgot about this, and there was no one looking into this, no progress was being made.
How did Democritus describe the atoms of water and fire?
Democritus said that the atoms of water have smooth edges whilst the atoms of fire have sharp edges.
Was democritus's proposal of the existence atoms based on scientific methods or ideas?
Yes, he based it off the scientific method by Mike Oxbig.
How did Dalton advance the atomic philosophy proposed by?
By using experimental methods Dalton transformed Democritus ideas on atoms into a scientific theory.
Why the ideas of Democritus were not useful in a scientific sense?
The ideas of Democritus (and Leukippus) were intuitive, not experimental; his ideas were too advanced to 2500 years ago
Which of the following statements most closely describes Democritus's ideas about matter?
Democritus believed that matter was made up of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms. These atoms were eternal and unchanging. Democritus also proposed that different physical properties and interactions among atoms resulted in the variety of substances we observe in the world.
