Question

select the correct answer.
why was niels bohrs atomic model superior to all the earlier models?
a. it proved that the atom was indivisible and therefore the smallest unit of matter.
b. it showed how the electron could orbit the nucleus without falling into it.
c. it was the first to show that the atom had no net charge.
d. it used wave behavior to explain the positions of electrons around the nucleus.

Explanation:

• Option A: Atoms are divisible (have sub - atomic particles), so this is wrong.
• Option B: Bohr's model proposed that electrons orbit the nucleus in specific energy levels (orbits) and do not radiate energy and fall into the nucleus, which solved a problem of earlier models.
• Option C: Earlier models (like Thomson's) also accounted for net neutrality of atom, so this is not unique to Bohr's model.
• Option D: Wave behavior to explain electron positions is part of quantum mechanical model (Schrödinger's), not Bohr's.

Answer:

B. It showed how the electron could orbit the nucleus without falling into it.