77Chapter 8The Concept of the Atom,
the Atomic Structure of Matter and
the Origin of Chemistry
The internal structure of matter cannot be perceived directly with our
senses. The surface of this page seems to be smooth and whole. The
material of which it is composed appears to be static and unchanging. All
of this is a deception.
An examination under an extremely powerful microscope would
immediately reveal an incredible amount of structure on the surface of
the page. In fact, if we were able to reduce ourselves in size such that the
area of this page became equivalent to the surface area of the Earth, we
would discover that this smooth piece of paper possessed mountains ten
times the height of the Alps and canyons ten times deeper than the Grand
Canyon.
Let us for the moment consider a ball rolling on the surface of this
page. Its surface is likewise covered with gigantic mountain ranges and
canyons. From this vantage point it is easy to see how the force of
friction operates. As the mountains of the rolling ball and the paper rub
against each other the motion of the ball is interfered with and it slows
down just as a ball rolling on a cobble stone road slows down faster than
one rolling along a paved road.
Let us return to our examination of this seeming solid and static sheet
of paper upon which these words are printed. If we were to reduce our
size once again so that the area of the page now becomes equivalent to
the area of the Earth’s orbit about the Sun, we would become aware of
the atomic structure of matter. What a surprise to discover that this static
sheet of paper is a maze of motion. Not only are all the atoms furiously
oscillating back and forth with respect to each other, but also each one is
a center of internal motion. Within each atom electrons are whizzing