8th Grade Science/Chapter 2: Inside the Atom

Everything in the world is made of atoms. But what are atoms and how were they discovered? Today, special microscopes help scientists see images created by atoms. It is amazing what scientists were able to discover about the makeup of matter before such microscopes were even thought of. In this chapter, you will learn about atoms and some of the people who discovered them.

Challenge
Have you ever had a wrapped birthday present that you couldn’t wait to open? What did you do to try to figure out what was in it? The atom is like that wrapped present. You want to investigate it, but you cannot see it easily.