Rational Thinker

In 600 BC, Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus noticed that the gemstone amber attracted light objects when it was rubbed against a cloth. Unbeknownst to him, he had discovered the phenomenon of static electricity. But how did humanity progress from this knowledge of a certain gemstone to powering machines with batteries? The answer lies in two centuries of innovation starting shortly after the beginning of the scientific revolution. This video doesn't cover everything, but does cover the most

The weights of atoms and molecules are quite precise today, but has quite a long and complicated history. This video dives into the very beginning of that history, right when modern atomic theory was beginning to surface. John Dalton is the inventor of relative atomic weight, and his ideas were instrumental in getting atomic theory off the ground and running. Not only does this video cover Dalton's contribution, but also two scientists after him that destroyed his initial theory less than a decade

In 1887, physicists Albert Michelson and Edward Morley discovered a new phenomenon that would come to be known as the fine structure of spectral lines. These spectral lines split into two or more components, and other effects like the Zeeman and Stark effects also showed cases where spectral lines split. The quest to answer why this happened took almost 40 years and would end with the discovery of a new characteristic of an electron known as "spin". Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See