What did Democritus believe an atom was?

1 Answer
Feb 21, 2016

In the 5th century, BC, Democritus of Abdera proposed that the atom was the tiniest indivisible quantity of stuff.

Explanation:

Our very name #"atom"# derives from the Greek word, #alphatauomuos#, which means #"uncuttable"# or #"indivisible"#. None of his writings survive, but he was the contemporary of Anaxagoras, Socrates, Hippocrates, and Pericles.

These days of course, we know that the atom CAN be sub-divided.