--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now I know what the atom looks like." description: "\"Now I know what the atom looks like.\" — Ernest Rutherford" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png" --- # Now I know what the atom looks like. ![“Now I know what the atom looks like.” quote by Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png) > “Now I know what the atom looks like.” [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker claims a new understanding of atomic structure, indicating a scientific breakthrough. **In simple terms:** I now see the atom. Key Takeaway Scientific insight achieved. Themes science discovery knowledge Mood analytical excited Type scientific educational When to use this quote - education - research labs - public talks Key Concepts physics atomic theory Questions to Reflect On - What implications does this have? - How will it change technology? A Different Perspective Understanding may be incomplete or contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atom/) [Atom Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atom-looks-1860075/) [Atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atoms/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Know Atom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-atom-1860076/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Looks Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks-like/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) ## Related quotes > [Although we know nothing of what an atom is, yet we cannot resist forming some idea of a small particle, which represents it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/although-we-know-nothing-of-what-an-atom-is-yet-we-cannot-resist/) [Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/) > [Chemistry, until my childhood, not that long ago, was regarded as a calculating device. Because you couldn't reduce to physics. So it's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/chemistry-until-my-childhood-not-that-long-ago-was-regarded-as-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Within a hundred years of physical and chemical science, men will know what the atom is. It is my belief when science reaches this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcellin-berthelot/within-a-hundred-years-of-physical-and-chemical-science-men-will-know/) [Marcellin Berthelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcellin-berthelot/) > [Even the structure of the atom has been found by the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/even-the-structure-of-the-atom-has-been-found-by-the-mind/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Organic compounds exist in which a hydrogen atom, joined to the carbon, acquires acid properties as a result of the proximity of certain functional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-grignard/organic-compounds-exist-in-which-a-hydrogen-atom-joined-to-the-carbon/) [Victor Grignard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-grignard/) > [Not one atom can rest until it finds its freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/not-one-atom-can-rest-until-it-finds-its-freedom/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“Atoms, the building blocks of so-called matter, however much they might seem to be physically circumscribed, aren’t actually like tiny billiard balls. That’s kindergarten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/atoms-the-building-blocks-of-so-called-matter-however-much-they-might/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [I will go only so far as to say that I knew what an atom was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tibbets/i-will-go-only-so-far-as-to-say-that-i-knew-what-an-atom-was/) [Paul Tibbets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tibbets/) > [There is no likelihood that man can ever tap the power of the atom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-andrews-millikan/there-is-no-likelihood-that-man-can-ever-tap-the-power-of-the-atom/) [Robert Andrews Millikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-andrews-millikan/) > [Do not despise anyone: an atom shadowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/do-not-despise-anyone-an-atom-shadowing/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [It is harder to crack prejudice than an atom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-is-harder-to-crack-prejudice-than-an-atom/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“The void is 'not-being,' and no part of 'what is' is a 'not-being,'; for what 'is' in the strict sense of the term is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-void-is-not-being-and-no-part-of-what-is-is-a-not-being-for-what/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [One atom is as purposeful as our planet. What is in one is in the whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/one-atom-is-as-purposeful-as-our-planet-what-is-in-one-is-in-the-whole/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [“If, as I have reason to believe, I have disintegrated the nucleus of the atom, this is of greater significance than the war. \[…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/if-as-i-have-reason-to-believe-i-have-disintegrated-the-nucleus-of/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Ernest Rutherford > [It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back to hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fired-a-15-inch-shell-at-a/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [From the results so far obtained it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the long-range atoms arising from collision of alpha particles with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/from-the-results-so-far-obtained-it-is-difficult-to-avoid-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“When we consider the magnitude and extent of his discoveries and their influence on the progress of science and of industry, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/when-we-consider-the-magnitude-and-extent-of-his-discoveries-and/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [An alleged scientific discovery has no merit unless it can be explained to a barmaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/an-alleged-scientific-discovery-has-no-merit-unless-it-can-be/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [A good scientific theory should be explicable to a barmaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/a-good-scientific-theory-should-be-explicable-to-a-barmaid/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Gentlemen, now you will see that now you see nothing. And why you see nothing you will see presently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/gentlemen-now-you-will-see-that-now-you-see-nothing-and-why-you-see/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [ The great object is to find the theory of the matter \[of X-rays\] before anyone else, for nearly every professor in Europe is now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-great-object-is-to-find-the-theory-of-the-matter-of-x-rays-before/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [It is essential for men of science to take an interest in the administration of their own affairs or else the professional civil servant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-is-essential-for-men-of-science-to-take-an-interest-in-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [All science is either physics or stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/all-science-is-either-physics-or-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/you-should-never-bet-against-anything-in-science-at-odds-of-more-than/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“We haven't got the money, so we'll have to think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/we-haven-t-got-the-money-so-we-ll-have-to-think/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Radioactivity is shown to be accompanied by chemical changes in which new types of matter are being continually produced. … The conclusion is drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/radioactivity-is-shown-to-be-accompanied-by-chemical-changes-in-which/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-energy-produced-by-the-breaking-down-of-the-atom-is-a-very-poor/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [ \[From uranium\] there are present at least two distinct types of radiation one that is very readily absorbed, which will be termed for convenience… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/from-uranium-there-are-present-at-least-two-distinct-types-of/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) [Explore all 51 Ernest Rutherford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) ## More Atom quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [One atom is as purposeful as our planet. What is in one is in the whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/one-atom-is-as-purposeful-as-our-planet-what-is-in-one-is-in-the-whole/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [“In every atom, there is a reflection of the whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/in-every-atom-there-is-a-reflection-of-the-whole/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [The laws of physics should allow us to arrange things molecule by molecule and even atom by atom, and at some point it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-merkle/the-laws-of-physics-should-allow-us-to-arrange-things-molecule-by/) [Ralph Merkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-merkle/) > [“The void is 'not-being,' and no part of 'what is' is a 'not-being,'; for what 'is' in the strict sense of the term is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-void-is-not-being-and-no-part-of-what-is-is-a-not-being-for-what/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“There are over a million types of fish in the sea as there are flowers in all of the world's gardens. There are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/there-are-over-a-million-types-of-fish-in-the-sea-as-there-are/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [It is harder to crack prejudice than an atom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-is-harder-to-crack-prejudice-than-an-atom/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Chemistry, until my childhood, not that long ago, was regarded as a calculating device. Because you couldn't reduce to physics. So it's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/chemistry-until-my-childhood-not-that-long-ago-was-regarded-as-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There is no evil in the atom; only in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-stevenson/there-is-no-evil-in-the-atom-only-in-men-s-souls/) [Adlai Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-stevenson/) > [Do not despise anyone: an atom shadowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/do-not-despise-anyone-an-atom-shadowing/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [There is no likelihood that man can ever tap the power of the atom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-andrews-millikan/there-is-no-likelihood-that-man-can-ever-tap-the-power-of-the-atom/) [Robert Andrews Millikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-andrews-millikan/) > [A physicist is just an atom's way of looking at itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/a-physicist-is-just-an-atom-s-way-of-looking-at-itself/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [If 'Star Wars' wasn't enough to prepare me for a dark future, there was the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise, conveniently repeated for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-van-eekhout/if-star-wars-wasn-t-enough-to-prepare-me-for-a-dark-future-there-was/) [Greg van Eekhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-van-eekhout/) > [I will go only so far as to say that I knew what an atom was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tibbets/i-will-go-only-so-far-as-to-say-that-i-knew-what-an-atom-was/) [Paul Tibbets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tibbets/) > [In the lab, we could not see or physically describe the mathematical objects that we called quarks, which we suspected were the key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/in-the-lab-we-could-not-see-or-physically-describe-the-mathematical/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) [Browse all 53 Atom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now I know what the atom looks like.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ernest Rutherford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/ernest-rutherford-13268_atom_now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like-2590_2590859.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now I know what the atom looks like.” — Ernest Rutherford", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ernest Rutherford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now I know what the atom...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/now-i-know-what-the-atom-looks-like/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```