Express series
BOOKS
Atom Express
: A Fantastic Adventure to Find the Atom

Publication Date : Dec 7, 2018

Pages : 396

ISBN 9791162209769


Every existing object in the world is made up of atoms. This is common sense to everyone. However, no one has ever seen an atom through their own eyes. How did science find an atom that could not even be seen? The story of Atom Express takes off with the author, a kind travel guide. Readers follow this wonderful journey together and see and hear the history of discoveries made by science. Atom Express will definitely continue its journey to discover the secrets of atoms with future scientists. At least readers will  find themselves changed as they close this book. “Oh! I can see the atom!” ― Kim Beom Joon (Sungkyunkwan University Professor, physicist)

 

The history of physics and chemistry is also referred as the history of discovering substances of atoms. The long journey to find the identity of the atoms, the source of all objects, is covered with countless scientists' efforts, pain, arguments and joy. Through fictional dramas covering past 2,500 years, the author vividly shows how the understanding of atoms has widened and deepened. Readers can play a supporting part in the journey, sharing tears and joys of achievement with scientists. I look forward to the next journey of this amazing story-teller, who so far took us to the stories of gravity, genome and atom. ― Ko Jae Hyun (HallymUniversity Professor, physicist)

AWARDS

2019 Selected as the Science Book of the Year of Asia Pacific Theoretical Physics Center (APTCP)

Listed Top 100 for 20 weeks in Natural Science at Aladin (Korea’s major online bookstore)


Media Releases and Book Reviews


“Scientists Who Wanted to See the Origin of Everything.”   see more +  

“Great Adventures in Search of Atoms”  see more +

“A Cartoon on History of Atoms”  see more +

Author Interview, Science Graphic Novel Writer, Jin Ho Cho   see more +

Book synopsis

"Atom, The essence of modern science The great adventure of tracking the existence of atoms has begun!"

The idea that materials are made up of atoms came out 2,000 years ago, but it is just about 100 years ago when this proved true. This is because there was no way that human senses could directly identify atoms that are only one hundred millionth of a centimeter in size. Then how were human beings able to  identify atoms? There were not visible to human eyes but human beings took advantage of scientific methods and invented new eyes where atoms could be seen. With these theoretical eyes to view atoms, human beings then discovered ways to see ‘electron,’ and opened up a new era of quantum mechanics. Atom Express starts with a question ‘what’s the meaning of existence?’ and cross a wide range of scientific fields from chemistry to thermodynamics. In science, identifying the existence of atoms was such an important and difficult process. During the journey to identify the existence of atoms, the main character, Plato and Aristotle encountered some great scientists such as Lavoisier, Dalton, Avogadro, Mendeleev, Faraday, Joule, Clausius, Maxwell, and Boltzmann. . They broke through the most elusive concepts of science such as Avogadro’s hypothesis, energy, quantum and entropy.


Table of contents

Editors’ Preface From Philosophy to Thermodynamics, Amazing Atom Express

Prologue Who saw the Atom? 

01 Something Unchangeable Stories from Miletus 

02 Hypothesis of Atom : Begin the Journey with a Smiling Philosopher 

03 Blinded by Hypotheses : Lavoisier, Abandoned Phlogiston 

04 Hypothesis is Still Valid : Molecule Story of Avogadro 

05 What’s Basis of Saying ‘Exist’? : Periodic Table, The Great Invention 

06 Follow Electricity : What was there where Faraday reached? 

07 A Faint Clue to Atom : When Energy and Gas Met 

08 Gas Proves Atom! : Theoretical Physicists Turned The Table Around 

09 Incarnation of Atom : Boltzmann, Return to Atom via the Path of Entropy 

10 At the Beach of Atom : First Steps to Avogadro Number 

11 I Finally Saw Atom : Einstein’s Telegram 

Epilogue Atom, Discovery or Invention? 

Closing : Atom Journey  leading to the meaning of existence 

Introduction of Main Characters

Reference 

Index

Detailed outline

From philosophy to chemistry, electromagnetism, physics, thermodynamics… Atomic story across all fields of science!


01 Something Unchangeable : A story that began in Miletus Many philosophers, including Thales and Heracleitos, have a heated debate over the subjects of what is the source of all things and how they are changing. Parmenides makes a preposterous argument that there is no changing in everything in this world.. Why is that so? The journey to atom begins with a fierce philosophical argument.


02 Hypothesis of Atom : Begin the journey with a smiling philosopher The idea that material is made up of atoms was stemmed from Greek philosopher Democritos, who claimed that ‘real’ material was an atom which is invisible, contrary to the common idea that materials must be sensed. With this bold argument on the table, Plato and Aristotle made a bet whether atom existed or not. The two got on the train for the journey of chemistry.


03 Hypotheses blind people : Lavoisier, Abandon Phlogiston Chemistry has evolved along with  alchemists’ effort by alchemists to make gold. . In the process of experimenting with substances, chemists found what was more brilliant than gold... At that time, chemists tried to explain changing of substances with the hypothetical “vitality” concept of “phlogiston” but Lavoisier and his wife Marie-Anne Paulze abandoned phlogiston and ploughed on a new path with ‘Law of communication of mass’. 


04 Hypothesis is still Valid : Molecular Story of Avogadro Lavoisier thought that atoms might exist but ended up withholding his judgment as he decided  to handle what is verifiable by experiments only. . Meanwhile, Dalton and Berzelius set up their chemistry system with a claim that atoms indeed existed, which was confronted byanother hypothesis of Avogadro that two samples of gas of equal volume, at the same temperature and pressure, contain the same number of molecules. Avogadro’s hypothesis was initially ignored by chemists, who later ended up accepting his hypothesis...As the study progressed, Berzelius came to a thought that there was an interrelation between atoms and electricity.


05 What is The Basis of Saying ‘Existence’? : Periodic Table, The Great Invention Chemists have stored up knowledge on the nature of substances and atomic weight, and began to realize that there was a certain pattern in the information. Dimitri Mendeleev made a tremendous achievement in organizing substances into Periodic table. The substance of atom became more apparent upon completion of  the periodic table, which worked as a schematic diagram of elements and a map that tracked newly discovered elements. Plato was impressed by achievements of Mendeleev and other atomists, but Aristotle took his own way, insisting that none of above has yet proved atoms.


06 Follow Electricity : What was there where Faraday reached? With an idea that electricity was involved in atomic combination, Aristotle began to trace the identity of light and electricity with Lavoisier.. They met a brilliant scientist, Michael Faraday, and came across a startling idea during tracking of the nature of electricity. James Clerk Maxwell joined the astonishing journey leading to the concept of quantum..


07 A Faint Clue to Atom : When Energy and Gas Meet Plato got off to his own tracking to understand the new clue: Heat. While Lavoisier thought there was an element called ‘caloric,’ Count Rumford concluded that heat is only related to work. Carnot discovered that heat could not be perfectly converted into work no matter how efficient the engine was.. James Prescott Joule then showed up and argued that heat not an element but energy with a clue that temperature and gas would be a breakthrough to identify atoms. 


08 Gas Provese Atom! : Theoretical Physicist Turned The Table Around Physicists began to pay attention to atoms. Following Boyle Robert, Dalton and Newton, who thought there was repulsive force among the countless particles in the gas, Bernouli Daniel raised an idea that the particles were moving through the space. This idea became a connection between  temperature and atom while Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius and Ludwig Boltzmann took off their route to bring out the ideal gas quotations with Maxwell. What came again in front of them was Avogadro’s hypothesis...


09 Incarnation of Atoms : Boltzmann, Return to Atom via the Path of Entropy Focusing on irreversibility of heat during his study on gas, Clausius invented Physical quantity called entropy: A new Physical quantity that accounted for what is likely and shouldn’t happen. Boltzmann applied Clausius’ entropy theory and derived a great equation S=klogW.


10 At the Beach of Atoms : First Step to Avogadro Number Boltzmann has come to see everything in the perspective of atom. Ernst Mach, however, objected to Boltzmann  thatAtomismrelied on hypotheses, was meaningless… The last hurdle for Boltzmann was that he did not know the weight and size of a single atom.


11 Finally Saw Atom : Einstein’s Telegram Boltzmann, who tried to finish things off, had his way interrupted by the crew of Plato, whose passion into proving atoms was again challenged by what blocked the path of Boltzmann. What arrived in front of them was a telegram: Come together quick. Avogadro number is discovered” How in the world could Avogadro number be discovered? The old secrets of atom have finally come to disclosure upon arrival of .JeanPerrin and Albert Einstein at the gathering of all the scientists who were on the journey together, including Aristotle and Plato.

Media Releases and Book Reviews


“Scientists Who Wanted to See the Origin of Everything.”   see more +  

“Great Adventures in Search of Atoms”  see more +

“A Cartoon on History of Atoms”  see more +

Author Interview, Science Graphic Novel Writer, Jin Ho Cho   see more +


Book synopsis

"Atom, The essence of modern science The great adventure of tracking the existence of atoms has begun!"

The idea that materials are made up of atoms came out 2,000 years ago, but it is just about 100 years ago when this proved true. This is because there was no way that human senses could directly identify atoms that are only one hundred millionth of a centimeter in size. Then how were human beings able to  identify atoms? There were not visible to human eyes but human beings took advantage of scientific methods and invented new eyes where atoms could be seen. With these theoretical eyes to view atoms, human beings then discovered ways to see ‘electron,’ and opened up a new era of quantum mechanics. Atom Express starts with a question ‘what’s the meaning of existence?’ and cross a wide range of scientific fields from chemistry to thermodynamics. In science, identifying the existence of atoms was such an important and difficult process. During the journey to identify the existence of atoms, the main character, Plato and Aristotle encountered some great scientists such as Lavoisier, Dalton, Avogadro, Mendeleev, Faraday, Joule, Clausius, Maxwell, and Boltzmann. . They broke through the most elusive concepts of science such as Avogadro’s hypothesis, energy, quantum and entropy.


Table of contents

Editors’ Preface From Philosophy to Thermodynamics, Amazing Atom Express

Prologue Who saw the Atom? 

01 Something Unchangeable Stories from Miletus 

02 Hypothesis of Atom : Begin the Journey with a Smiling Philosopher 

03 Blinded by Hypotheses : Lavoisier, Abandoned Phlogiston 

04 Hypothesis is Still Valid : Molecule Story of Avogadro 

05 What’s Basis of Saying ‘Exist’? : Periodic Table, The Great Invention 

06 Follow Electricity : What was there where Faraday reached? 

07 A Faint Clue to Atom : When Energy and Gas Met 

08 Gas Proves Atom! : Theoretical Physicists Turned The Table Around 

09 Incarnation of Atom : Boltzmann, Return to Atom via the Path of Entropy 

10 At the Beach of Atom : First Steps to Avogadro Number 

11 I Finally Saw Atom : Einstein’s Telegram 

Epilogue Atom, Discovery or Invention? 

Closing : Atom Journey  leading to the meaning of existence 

Introduction of Main Characters

Reference 

Index


Detailed outline

From philosophy to chemistry, electromagnetism, physics, thermodynamics… Atomic story across all fields of science!


01 Something Unchangeable : A story that began in Miletus Many philosophers, including Thales and Heracleitos, have a heated debate over the subjects of what is the source of all things and how they are changing. Parmenides makes a preposterous argument that there is no changing in everything in this world.. Why is that so? The journey to atom begins with a fierce philosophical argument.


02 Hypothesis of Atom : Begin the journey with a smiling philosopher The idea that material is made up of atoms was stemmed from Greek philosopher Democritos, who claimed that ‘real’ material was an atom which is invisible, contrary to the common idea that materials must be sensed. With this bold argument on the table, Plato and Aristotle made a bet whether atom existed or not. The two got on the train for the journey of chemistry.


03 Hypotheses blind people : Lavoisier, Abandon Phlogiston Chemistry has evolved along with  alchemists’ effort by alchemists to make gold. . In the process of experimenting with substances, chemists found what was more brilliant than gold... At that time, chemists tried to explain changing of substances with the hypothetical “vitality” concept of “phlogiston” but Lavoisier and his wife Marie-Anne Paulze abandoned phlogiston and ploughed on a new path with ‘Law of communication of mass’. 


04 Hypothesis is still Valid : Molecular Story of Avogadro Lavoisier thought that atoms might exist but ended up withholding his judgment as he decided  to handle what is verifiable by experiments only. . Meanwhile, Dalton and Berzelius set up their chemistry system with a claim that atoms indeed existed, which was confronted byanother hypothesis of Avogadro that two samples of gas of equal volume, at the same temperature and pressure, contain the same number of molecules. Avogadro’s hypothesis was initially ignored by chemists, who later ended up accepting his hypothesis...As the study progressed, Berzelius came to a thought that there was an interrelation between atoms and electricity.


05 What is The Basis of Saying ‘Existence’? : Periodic Table, The Great Invention Chemists have stored up knowledge on the nature of substances and atomic weight, and began to realize that there was a certain pattern in the information. Dimitri Mendeleev made a tremendous achievement in organizing substances into Periodic table. The substance of atom became more apparent upon completion of  the periodic table, which worked as a schematic diagram of elements and a map that tracked newly discovered elements. Plato was impressed by achievements of Mendeleev and other atomists, but Aristotle took his own way, insisting that none of above has yet proved atoms.


06 Follow Electricity : What was there where Faraday reached? With an idea that electricity was involved in atomic combination, Aristotle began to trace the identity of light and electricity with Lavoisier.. They met a brilliant scientist, Michael Faraday, and came across a startling idea during tracking of the nature of electricity. James Clerk Maxwell joined the astonishing journey leading to the concept of quantum..


07 A Faint Clue to Atom : When Energy and Gas Meet Plato got off to his own tracking to understand the new clue: Heat. While Lavoisier thought there was an element called ‘caloric,’ Count Rumford concluded that heat is only related to work. Carnot discovered that heat could not be perfectly converted into work no matter how efficient the engine was.. James Prescott Joule then showed up and argued that heat not an element but energy with a clue that temperature and gas would be a breakthrough to identify atoms. 


08 Gas Provese Atom! : Theoretical Physicist Turned The Table Around Physicists began to pay attention to atoms. Following Boyle Robert, Dalton and Newton, who thought there was repulsive force among the countless particles in the gas, Bernouli Daniel raised an idea that the particles were moving through the space. This idea became a connection between  temperature and atom while Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius and Ludwig Boltzmann took off their route to bring out the ideal gas quotations with Maxwell. What came again in front of them was Avogadro’s hypothesis...


09 Incarnation of Atoms : Boltzmann, Return to Atom via the Path of Entropy Focusing on irreversibility of heat during his study on gas, Clausius invented Physical quantity called entropy: A new Physical quantity that accounted for what is likely and shouldn’t happen. Boltzmann applied Clausius’ entropy theory and derived a great equation S=klogW.


10 At the Beach of Atoms : First Step to Avogadro Number Boltzmann has come to see everything in the perspective of atom. Ernst Mach, however, objected to Boltzmann  thatAtomismrelied on hypotheses, was meaningless… The last hurdle for Boltzmann was that he did not know the weight and size of a single atom.


11 Finally Saw Atom : Einstein’s Telegram Boltzmann, who tried to finish things off, had his way interrupted by the crew of Plato, whose passion into proving atoms was again challenged by what blocked the path of Boltzmann. What arrived in front of them was a telegram: Come together quick. Avogadro number is discovered” How in the world could Avogadro number be discovered? The old secrets of atom have finally come to disclosure upon arrival of .JeanPerrin and Albert Einstein at the gathering of all the scientists who were on the journey together, including Aristotle and Plato.