Understanding the Atomic World: Model vs. Evidence in Modern Science

[mitch bass]

Can someone please help me to understand if what modern science knows about the atomic world is a mathematical model that has validity due to its accuracy in prediction or if modern science has been able to find more concrete evidence and if so, what that evidence might be which allows for example a person to know that there is a particle called an electron and and neutron and a proton.

When the atomic world was first declared to exist in terms of particles consisting of electrons and neutrons and protons, was their actual observation of these particles or were these particles presupposed due to the activity that occurs on a larger than atomic scale which the periodic table and what it suggests does well to make sense of.

An electron microscope can be used to see the microscopic, but has anyone actually seen an electron?

 

[ahrkron]

Have you even seen a bubble chamber at work? some museums have them, and they show how small tracks are formed every couple seconds or so. They make a very clear illustration of the existence of many particle types.

Here'e an image from particleadventure.org:
http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/frameless/images/e-p0.jpg

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Edit:
Here's another one, from the same site (which is a great one for you to read about particle detection, behavior and theory):
http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/frameless/images/bubble.gif