Atomic whirl
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The atomic whirl is a symbol of science[citation needed] and has also come to be used as the worldwide symbol of atheism.[1][2][3][4]
The atomic whirl is based on the historical Rutherford model of the atom, which erroneously showed the orbital paths of electrons around the central nucleus, and not on the atomic orbitals.[5] It resembles the authoritative logos and symbols of the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency who also based their designs on the Rutherford Model.[6][7][8]
The symbol was adapted by the American Atheists organization to symbolize that "only through the use of scientific analysis and free, open inquiry can humankind reach out for a better life". In this version, the lower part of the central loop is left open or "broken" to represent the fact that atheists accept that while they rely on the scientific method, they are searching for the answers, and in some cases, further questions.[1]
Approved emblem of belief (US)
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This symbol (with an added 'A' in the center) is one of the permitted "Emblems of Belief" that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs allows on government-furnished headstones and markers.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Our Logo". American Atheists. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ↑ "Symbol of American Atheists". AncientSymbols.org. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Kettell, Steven (21 November 2013). "Faithless: The politics of new atheism" (PDF). Secularism & Nonreligion. 2. University of Warwick: 61–72. doi:10.5334/snr.al. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (28 January 2007). The Cambridge Companion to Atheism - 3 - Atheism: Contemporary Numbers and Patterns. Cambridge University Press. pp. 47–66. doi:10.1017/CCOL0521842700.004.
- ↑ "Rutherford Atomic Model Observations and Limitations In Detail". BYJUS. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ↑ Kragh, Helge (17 May 2012). Niels Bohr and the Quantum Atom: The Bohr Model of Atomic Structure 1913–1925. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199654987.001.0001. ISBN 9780191741692.
- ↑ Weart, Spencer (1988). Nuclear Fear: A History of Images. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-62835-9.
- ↑ "Bohr model". Encyclopedia Britannica. 30 March 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ "Emblems of Belief - National Cemetery Administration". Cem.va.gov. United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
External links
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Media related to Atomic whirl at Wikimedia Commons
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