Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Happy Birthday, Atom

Posted by michael on from the how-old-are-you-now-how-old-are-you-now dept.

Shipud writes "200 years ago today (Oct. 21) John Dalton revolutionized chemistry by starting the process of turning it into an exact science. He presented the Table of Atomic Weights, at the Manchester literary and Philosophical Society. Dalton's work proposed atoms exist: and not just as an explanatory or philosophical tool. His theory laid the foundations for the periodic table of the elements (1869, Mendeleev), and indeed to all modern chemistry. The molecular weight of compounds is today measured in Daltons, the weight of a hydrogen atom. Read more about Mr. Dalton in today's Nature: a man of many interests, whose atomic theory preceded experimental evidence by a century. Read also about Daltonism -- and why it is named after him."

15 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Gee Thanks Pal by FortKnox · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thanks for almost making me fail Chemistry cause my dumb-ass teacher made me memorize the first 80 elements for a test!

    This comment was just a joke. If you are replying to say anything about how it'd be harder or memorizing 80 things are easy, save your fingers

    --
    Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
    1. Re:Gee Thanks Pal by Jason1729 · · Score: 1, Funny

      You must be the dumbass. The symbols make a nice pronouncable string of sylables.

      h-heli-beb-cnof-ne-na-mg-al-sips-clark-ca....

      We only had to memorize the first 40, but the teacher demonstrated that he could still do the first 80.

      It's important to memorize the periodic table if you want to do anything in chemistry, so if you can't handle it, you deserve to fail. Everyone knows chemistry is mostly memorization anyway.

      Jason
      ProfQuotes

  2. Atom! by pheared · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ranier Wolfcastle: Up and at them!

  3. What should it's present be? by Limburgher · · Score: 3, Funny

    I mean, what do you get for the guy who's everything? (rimshot)

    --

    You are not the customer.

  4. Oh shit! I forgot to buy a present! by winkydink · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am soooooo screwed.

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  5. Dalton? by (void*) · · Score: 3, Funny

    Personally, I think Sean Connery ... oh wait, nevermind.

  6. DUH! by Hal+The+Computer · · Score: 3, Funny

    A universe to put it in.
    (rimshot)

    --

    int main(void){int x=01232;while(malloc(x));return x;}
  7. Re:Oh shit! I forgot to buy a present! by Kufat · · Score: 3, Funny

    200th anniversary? I think that's the Cesium year.

  8. Separated at Birth by nucal · · Score: 2, Funny

    John Dalton and John Lennon.

  9. In fact... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    3 Daltons is roughly equivalent to one Lucky Luke.

  10. This sounds familiar... by queen+of+everything · · Score: 3, Funny

    He taught chemistry but had no experience of chemical research

    Resembles some teachers I had in High School

    --
    "Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the life-long attempt to acquire it." -Albert Einstein
  11. plum pudding no more by juan2074 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Good thing atoms were invented.
    Before that, everything was made of plum pudding!

  12. Huh. by Unknown+Kadath · · Score: 2, Funny

    200? I could have sworn atoms were around 13.7 billion years old, give or take.

    -Carolyn

    --
    Like Daddy always said: if you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.
  13. To Seargant Pepper by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 3, Funny
    200 years ago today
    Mr Dalton taught the world to say
    that our matter's an atomic pile

    and it changed our scientific style.

    So let me introduce to you
    Common, lets give a cheer!
    particle physics and nuclear chemistry!

    (RIAA note: satire makes for fair use, so there!)

    --
    Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
  14. An on-topic joke by gklinger · · Score: 4, Funny
    Two atoms are walking down the street and one says to the other, "I think I lost an electron..."

    "You sure?"

    "I'm positive!"