Question #2d616

1 Answer
Jan 25, 2016

Atoms are so small, we cannot see them directly, so we rely entirely on indirect evidence to study their structure.

Explanation:

No microscope is powerful enough to see the structure of an atom, though recent work has developed methods of seeing individual atoms and molecules with atomic force microscopes.

Our understanding of the structure of the atom comes from experiments such as those performed by J.J. Thompson and Earnest Rutherford, which provide evidence that must be interpreted, rather than providing direct observation.