Who was One of the first people to state that matter is made up of atoms was
A. Democritus
B. Rutherford
C. dalton
D. Aristotle
http://js082.k12.sd.us/My_Classes/Physical_Science/atoms/atoms_1.htm
The correct answer is A. Democritus.
To arrive at this answer, we need to assess the contributions made by each of the mentioned individuals in the field of atomic theory.
1. Aristotle: While Aristotle made significant contributions to various fields, including physics and philosophy, he did not propose the idea of atoms as the building blocks of matter. In fact, he believed in the concept of continuous matter without any fundamental particles.
2. Dalton: John Dalton, an English scientist, is known as the father of atomic theory. In the early 19th century, Dalton formulated the atomic theory, which outlined the fundamental principles of atoms and their combination to form compounds. Although Dalton's theory was groundbreaking, he was not among the first to propose the existence of atoms.
3. Rutherford: Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand-born physicist, performed the famous gold foil experiment in 1911, which led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus and the proposal of Rutherford's atomic model. However, he did not explicitly state that matter is made up of atoms.
4. Democritus: Democritus, an ancient Greek philosopher, was one of the first individuals to propose the existence of atoms around the 5th century BCE. He theorized that all matter is composed of indivisible particles called atoms. Although his ideas were not scientifically proven at the time, Democritus laid the foundation for future advancements in atomic theory.
Hence, the correct answer is A. Democritus, as he was among the earliest to suggest that matter is made up of atoms.