-
"by convention bitter, by convention sweet, but in reality atoms and void"
-
Proposed a mechanical universe with small solid masses in motion.
-
Proposed an "atomic theory" with spherical solid atoms based upon measurable properties of mass.
-
Studied the effect of electricity on solutions, coined term "electrolysis" as a splitting of molecules with electricity, developed laws of electrolysis. Faraday himself was not a proponent of atomism.
-
Built one of the first gas discharge tubes ("cathode ray tube").
-
Arranged elements into 7 groups with similar properties. He discovered that the properties of elements "were periodic functions of the their atomic weights". This became known as the Periodic Law.
-
James Clerk Maxwell Proposed electric and magnetic fields filled the void.
-
Discovered cathode rays had the following properties: travel in straight lines from the cathode; cause glass to fluoresce; impart a negative charge to objects they strike; are deflected by electric fields and magnets to suggest a negative charge; cause pinwheels in their path to spin indicating they have mass.