Confirming the Invisible
How would you prove the existence of something so small that 350 million of them fit comfortably on the tip of a sharp needle? Maybe you will use an electron microscope to “see” this little micro-microscopic thing. But you have to accomplish this task early in the 20th century; there was no such tool then.
How does the idea you could prove the existence of such small entities and measure their size come to your mind? Someone did just that in 1905: Albert Einstein, the E=mc2 guy, the theory of relativity guy, the uncle of all scientists and aspiring scientists who came after him.
How did Einstein prove the existence of the atom?
His reasoning was similar to that of people who cannot see the air, but moving dust on the ground proves that the air (or something) exists. A phenomenon called Brownian motion was well-known at that time. The Brownian motion is a constant motion of tiny particles observed under the microscope. This phenomenon was intriguing. No one knew why tiny particles were constantly jiggling as if alive. Einstein concluded that those particles are jiggling because they are pushed on all sides by even smaller entities, the atoms.
Uncle Einstein did not stop there; as a physicist who expressed himself through mathematics, his observation allowed him to calculate the average size of the atom. This measurement was a tour de force at the time, mainly because the mere existence of the atom was not universally accepted.
Einstein was able to do such great scientific works without setting foot in a lab; he was a theoretician. He was one of those scientists who could do thought experiments; in their minds, they could solve tremendously complex problems. Their conclusions would later be tested by another type of scientist who would run experiments to prove or disprove the theoretician’s ideas.
Einstein is a great model for scientists from developing countries to emulate since his tools are exceptionally inexpensive. He did not use giant machines, expensive microscopes, or well-equipped labs; he just used what we all have: his brain.
Ayiti Syantifik invites you to educate yourself and find your way in the field of science, where plenty of wonders are waiting to be discovered.
Jean Garry Cantave
7-29-2024 AYITI SYANTIFIK
Ayitisyantifik@gmail.com