The Nature of the Atom: Great Scientific Questions and the Scientists Who Answered Them (How Do We Know)

Discusses the scientific research which led to the current ideas about atomic theory, including the chemical discoveries of the ancient Greeks, the study of elements and compounds, and changes in the understanding of the atom and its parts.

Grade 6-9-Each of these titles follows a similar outline, beginning with people's first efforts to answer the central scientific question, followed by the attempts over the centuries by various men and women to find the solution. In each case, the author takes the research nearly to the present. These accounts, though, are not simply a mere rendering of facts. The authors are essentially storytellers, and at just the right moment they include a bit of information that adds interest to the tales. (For example, the chemist Henry Cavendish was so frightened of women that he could only communicate with his female servants through notes.) Through this approach, readers learn how scientific discoveries are built upon one another, and how science has evolved from a sideline for gifted amateurs to the work of professional research teams. The black-and-white illustrations are, for the most part, decorative. Lively, well-written, and fast-paced scientific histories.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
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