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In 1925 Heisenberg made a new attempt, on entirely novel lines, to obtain an explanation of atomic spectra. Working in collaboration with Bohr, he had come to the conclusion that the imperfections of Bohr's theory had been a consequence of assuming too simple a model for the atom. For Bohr had not only assumed that the atom consisted of particles moving through space and time, but also that the particles inside atoms were of the same kind as the electrons outside atoms.

James Jeans#29

PhysicsTheoryQuantum

About this quote

What does it mean?
Heisenberg and Bohr concluded that Bohr's atomic theory failed because it assumed too simple a model of particles moving in space and time.
In plain terms
Bohr's theory was wrong because it treated atoms too simply like regular particles.
What can you take from it?
Simpler models may fail to explain complex atomic behavior.

Where it applies

  • discussing atomic theory
  • explaining quantum mechanics

Putting it to work

  • improving scientific models
  • teaching quantum history

Questions to consider

  • Why do scientific models need updating?
  • How simple is too simple for a model?

Another view

The quote assumes knowledge of Bohr's specific model.

More from James Jeans

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  2. Bohr's investigation had typified what had become a standard procedure in problems of theoretical physics. The first step was to discover the mathematical laws…

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  3. In every previous application of the quantum law, Plank's law, that the energy is h [Plank's constant] times the frequency, had been used to deduce the energy …

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