Niels Bohr: Works and Accomplishments

Niels Bohr Name: Instructor: Institution: Date: Introduction There have been great minds at almost every era throughout the history of mankind. It seems like each of them came at specific times to contribute towards the advancement and development of one or more scientific fields. Their inventions and discoveries have in turn hastened technological advancement as well as the overall advancement of the current human civilization. Amongst them is Niels Henrik David Bohr, a man whose contribution to physics and chemistry is indelible. Born in Denmark in 1885, Bohr was born in a family of great minds, as his father was a professor of physiology in the University of Copenhagen while his brother a great mathematician. His childhood was rather uneventful, and he came into prominence after joining university in 1903. He then became even more accomplished after going for PhD in England, where he worked with JJ Thompson as well as Rutherford. He later went back to be the director of theoretical physics at the University of Copenhagen, seventeen years later. Thereafter, he managed to visit the U.S.A in around 1939, bringing with him the knowledge of the atom. Bohr contributed greatly to the knowledge of the atom and its ability to yield immense amounts of energy, hence opening the door for nuclear energy. Works and Accomplishments Bohr was very interested in the study of the atomic structure. He therefore embarked on an extensive study into the atomic and subatomic elements, something that led him to work with JJ Thompson and Ernst Rutherford. It was during his time with Rutherford that he came up with the paper entailing how alpha rays are absorbed by matter (Kragh, 2012). He then worked further to advance the nucleic understanding of the atom as per Rutherford, and subsequently came up with a new way of understanding the atom, known as the atomic model. This is what would come to be called the planetary model of the atom, or simply, Bohr’s model (Plotnitsky, 2012). It was the beginning of his groundbreaking studies in the same. Using the Bohr model, so many atomic and elemental phenomena that were initially indescribable could now be described. It also helped solve a number of flaws that were evident in Rutherford’s model, which was just focused on the nucleus. According to Rutherford’s school of thought, the electron was more of an orbiting planet (Bohr, 2011). This meant that there would be an increase in its velocity with time, as it went around in a circular path. Subsequently, the fast, circular movement would result in the creation of an electromagnetic field around it. The electromagnetic field would disperse energy from the nucleus to the outside, thereby reducing the speed of the electron and providing the nucleus with the chance to capture or trap it. The model helped explain the unique characteristics of the hydrogen atom, such as the hydrogen spectrum. According to the discovery made by Bohr, the atom was made up of a dense nucleus which was at the center of the atom, surrounded by circling electrons that are held in that position and motion due to electrostatic force (Kragh, 2012). These electrons revolved in distinct paths or orbits known as energy levels, and had a tendency to only move to larger orbits. Consequently, Bohr noted that the outer orbits held more electrons compared to the inner ones. Holding more electrons is a clear indication that they are the major players in the ...