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When an ancient Greek asked if an object could be subdivided indefinitely, some said yes and some said no. Neither side had any physical evidence for their point of view, nor did they seek any. The only contribution to modern science, apart from the question itself, was the word atomos (indivisible) that Democritus used in the debate. John Dalton made a contribution of a quite different order. He said that matter did consist of atoms; he said that all atoms of the same element were identical atoms with the same mass. He cited physical (that includes chemical) evidence to support his assertions. Dalton said more about atoms, but all based on evidence, rather than opinion. Democritus's theory was philosophy. Dalton's was science as we understand it today.

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15y ago

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