Modeling the Atom

Introduction Remember that we use models to make really big things and really small things easier to study. Well, atoms are about as small as it gets. So naturally we need a model to help understand them. We will construct this model by cutting a 28 centimeter strip of paper in half as many times as you can. If you can cut the strip of paper in half 31 times you will end up with a piece of paper the size of an atom.

Materials and Procedure Materials: 28 cm long strip of paper, scissors Procedure: Take your strip of paper and cut it into equal halves. Cut one of the remaining pieces of paper into equal halves. Continue to cut the strip into equal halves as many times as you can. Make all cuts parallel to the first one. When the width gets longer than the length, you may cut off the excess, but that does not count as a cut.

CutSizeDescription 114 cmChild’s Hands 27 cmFinger, Ear 33.5 cmWatch, Mushroom, Eye cmKeyboard Key, Ring, Insect cmPoppy Seed 81 mmThread mm mmHuman Hair mmPaper Thickness 181 micronBacteria micronsVisible Light Waves microns micronsThe Atom!!