large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_149
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
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12904
If he set the mass of the hydrogen atom at 1 (just for convenience) then the mass of the oxygen atom ought to be set at 8. IF HE SET THE MASS OF THE HYDROGEN ATOM AT ONE JUST FOR CONVENIENCE THEN THE MASS OF THE OXYGEN ATOM OUGHT TO BE SET AT E
ry other element. The chief difference between the various atoms lay in their mass, or weight.[1] Dalton was the first to try to determine what these masses might be. He could not work out the actual masses in ounces or grams, for atoms were far too tiny to weigh with any of his instruments. He could, however, determine their relative weights; that is, how much more massive one kind of atom might be than another. For instance, he found that a quantity of hydrogen gas invariably combined with eight times its own mass of oxygen gas to form water. He guessed that water consisted of combinations of 1 atom of hydrogen with 1 atom of oxygen. (A combination of atoms is called a “molecule” from a Greek word meaning “a small mass”, and so hydrogen and oxygen atoms can be said to combine to form a “water molecule”.) [Illustration: _John Dalton_] To account for the difference in the masses of the combining gases, Dalton decided that the oxygen atom was eight times as massive as the hydrogen atom. TOMS OF ONE ELEMENT WERE DIFFERENT FROM THE ATOMS OF EVERY OTHER ELEMENT THE CHIEF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ATOMS LAY IN THEIR MASS OR WEIGHT DALTON WAS THE FIRST TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT THESE MASSES MIGHT BE HE COULD NOT WORK OUT THE ACTUAL MASSES IN OUNCES OR GRAMS FOR ATOMS WERE FAR TOO TINY TO WEIGH WITH ANY OF HIS INSTRUMENTS HE COULD HOWEVER DETERMINE THEIR RELATIVE WEIGHTS THAT IS HOW MUCH MORE MASSIVE ONE KIND OF ATOM MIGHT BE THAN ANOTHER FOR INSTANCE HE FOUND THAT A QUANTITY OF HYDROGEN GAS INVARIABLY COMBINED WITH EIGHT TIMES ITS OWN MASS OF OXYGEN GAS TO FORM WATER HE GUESSED THAT WATER CONSISTED OF COMBINATIONS OF ONE ATOM OF HYDROGEN AND ONE ATOM OF OXYGEN A COMBINATION OF ATOMS IS CALLED A MOLECULE FROM A GREEK WORD MEANING A SMALL MASS AND SO HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN ATOMS CAN BE SAID TO COMBINE TO FORM A WATER MOLECULE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MASSES OF THE COMBINING GASES DALTON DECIDED THAT THE OXYGEN ATOM WAS EIGHT TIMES AS MASSIVE AS THE HYDROGEN ATOM
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