The challenge with chemistry, the atomic theory has limited direct application in nature or how we define nature. Is there a good example to make this connection for a five year old?
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Well not really in nature but the most direct way to observe atoms I’m aware of is graphene. It’s exactly one layer of atoms thick, it’s impossible to create graphene that is half as thick, or 1.5 as thick, it’s always whole numbered multiples of a single layer. And that can be visually seen as a single layer is quite transparent but two layers is already much more opaque and there is no way to get a state inbetween
“Everything is made of tiny crumbs. Sometimes the crumbs are loose, like salt, sometimes they are sticky. Sometimes they float in the air, and you can only see the very biggest ones.” Try to see dust motes in the air. Grains of sand. Get out a magnifying glass and crush breadcrumbs so they can see.
All of nature boils down to atoms, at some point. Trees use water to carry nutrients. Those nutrients dissolve due to intermolecular forces, that water climbs the tree due to intermolecular forces. The nutrients are divvied up and turned into cellular machinery made of complex atomic chains.
> the atomic theory has limited direct application in nature or how we define nature.
What makes you think that? All of chemistry is based on atoms, and every time you consider any property of a substance you use chemistry (and physics).
This reminds me of a question that Steve Mould asked in one of his videos a year or two ago: “What does a proton taste like?” And, weirdly enough, he gave a very satisfying answer. You see, the human tongue is able to detect four different tastes, sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, and sourness. And each of these detect different chemical indicators. Sweetness detects sugars, saltiness salts, bitterness toxic chemicals, and sourness acids.
Now, every acid has one thing in common: a positive hydrogen ion that it can easily give up. And, if your child knows enough about hydrogen, they’ll know that this atom consists of a single proton with a single electron going around it. Remove that electron and you just have a proton.
So how do protons taste? Sour!
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