A historical-epistemological and conceptual rescue of the paths trodden by Niels Bohr when developing his Trilogy – “On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules” presented in 1913 – raises different questions that, when contextualized, can be taken into science education. What made Bohr move from the electronic theory of metals, the focus of his thesis, to Ernest Rutherford’s quantization of the atom? What assumptions did he have that allow him to combat an empirical-inductivist view when deducing and using J.J Balmer’s formula? What possible influences did John W. Nicholson have on Bohr? In this sense, this article focuses on the first part of the Bohrian trilogy in order to clarify these issues and contribute to discussions in and about science in science teaching.
Keywords:
Niels Bohr; Atom; History and Philosophy of Science; Science teaching
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