Ideas of Ancient

Greeks
on Atoms
 “By convention there is
color, by convention
sweetness, by convention
bitterness, but in reality
there are atoms and
space.” ~Democritus
INTRODUCTI
ON
Throughout history, man has
searched for the ultimate substance
of which matter is created. From
the time of the early Greeks up to
the present, man has not stopped
his search for the ultimate particle.
The Beginning
Thales of Miletus
According to him, all
things came from water,
and the earth itself floats
on water.
A century after Thales’ death…
Leucippus
A Greek philosopher who
conceived the idea of
indivisible units called atom
(meaning “uncut”). Later
on, his idea was developed
by Democritus, his student,
to whom Aristotle
attributed the atomic
theory.
 Democritus
Believed that matter
consisted of tiny particles
called atomos and that the
infinite variety of observable
things could be explained by
the combination of different
sizes and shapes of these
particles.
Five Major Points in the Atomic
Idea
1. All matter is
composed of atoms,
which are bits of matter
too small to be seen.
These atoms cannot be
further split into
smaller portions.
Five Major Points in the Atomic
Idea
2. There is a void,
which is empty space
between atoms
through which atoms
can move from place
to place.
 Five Major Points in the Atomic
Idea
3. Atoms are
completely solid.
There could be no void
in an atom itself.
Five Major Points In the Atomic
Idea
4. Atoms are different in their sizes,
shape and weight.
Empedocles
Proposed that
matter is made
up of four
elements –
earth, water, air
and fire.
 Empedocles
When things caught fire, moisture is released,
air can be felt coming up from it, and the ashes
show the earth that it contained.

Classifying all matter as only being made of

four elements certainly simplified our view of
the world.
Aristotle
Rejected the idea of the
atomism of matter. He
believes that there is no
limit to subdividing matter.
Dividing matter in small
bits can go on infinitely
with each piece getting
smaller and smaller.
 ARISTOTLE
 He thought that all materials on Earth were
not made of atoms, but of the four
elements, Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. 
He believed all substances were made of
small amounts of these four elements of
matter. 
PLATO
• HE FURTHER EXPANDED EMPEDOCLES THEORY BY SAYING THAT EACH
OF THE FOUR KINDS OF MATTER IS COMPOSED OF GEOMETRICAL
SOLIDS ( PLATONIC SOLID) FURTHER DIVISIBLE INTO TRIANGLES.
WHEN REARRANGED TO TRIANGLES THESE TRIANGLES COULD
CAUSED APPARENT TRANSFORMATION BETWEEN FOUR KINDS OF
MATTER
-END OF DISCUSSION-
 ACTIVITY

ATOMISTS IDEAS ON ATOMS REACTION/ COMMENTS