<P> The idea that matter is made up of discrete units is a very old one , appearing in many ancient cultures such as Greece and India . The word `` atom '' was coined by the ancient Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus . However , these ideas were founded in philosophical and theological reasoning rather than evidence and experimentation . Because of this , they could not convince everybody , so atomism was but one of a number of competing theories on the nature of matter . It was not until the 19th century that the idea was embraced and refined by scientists , as the blossoming science of chemistry produced discoveries that could easily be explained using the concept of atoms . </P>
<P> The idea that matter is made up of discrete units is a very old one , appearing in many ancient cultures such as Greece and India . The word `` atom '' was coined by the ancient Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus . However , these ideas were founded in philosophical and theological reasoning rather than evidence and experimentation . Because of this , they could not convince everybody , so atomism was but one of a number of competing theories on the nature of matter . It was not until the 19th century that the idea was embraced and refined by scientists , as the blossoming science of chemistry produced discoveries that could easily be explained using the concept of atoms . </P>
who was the first to suggest an atom existed
who was the first to suggest an atom existed
the ancient Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus
the ancient Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus