Atomic Physics

Part 12: Atomic Physics

This part explores the structure of the atom and the physical principles that govern the behavior of electrons and atomic nuclei. You will trace the historical discoveries that led to the modern atomic model, study Bohr’s description of the hydrogen atom, and learn how quantum mechanics explains atomic structure, electron configurations, and the characteristic spectra emitted by atoms. These concepts reveal how the microscopic behavior of electrons determines the properties of matter.

The concepts developed in this part provide the foundation for understanding chemistry, materials science, and many applications in biology and medicine. Atomic physics explains the production of X-rays, the interaction of radiation with matter, and the origin of atomic spectra used in scientific analysis. These principles are fundamental to medical imaging, radiation therapy, clinical laboratory instruments, and many modern analytical techniques used in biomedical research.

This part contains the following chapters:

104. Introduction to Atomic Physics
105. Discovery of the Atom
106. Discovery of the Parts of the Atom: Electrons and Nuclei
107. Bohr’s Theory of the Hydrogen Atom
108. X Rays: Atomic Origins and Applications
109. Applications of Atomic Excitations and De-Excitations
110. The Wave Nature of Matter Causes Quantization
111. Patterns in Spectra Reveal More Quantization
112. Quantum Numbers and Rules
113. The Pauli Exclusion Principle