Discovery of atom and atomic structure Empedocles,a Greek philosopher and scientist who lived on the south coast of Sicily between 492 b.c.and 432 b.c.,argued that all matter was composed of four elements:fire,air,water,and earth.The ratio of these four elements affected the properties of the matter. Stone was thought to contain a high amount of earth,while a rabbit was thought to have a higher ratio of both water and fire,thus making it soft and giving it life. Quite popular,but a number of problems.For example,no matter how many times you break a stone in half,the pieces never resemble any of the core elements of fire,air,water,or earth. The first to suggest that some substances that looked like pure materials, like stone,were actually made up of a combination of different "elements." Fire Water Earth EarthDiscovery of atom and atomic structure • Empedocles, a Greek philosopher and scientist who lived on the south coast of Sicily between 492 b.c. and 432 b.c., argued that all matter was composed of four elements: fire, air, water, and earth. The ratio of these four elements affected the properties of the matter. • Stone was thought to contain a high amount of earth, while a rabbit was thought to have a higher ratio of both water and fire, thus making it soft and giving it life. • Quite popular, but a number of problems. For example, no matter how many times you break a stone in half, the pieces never resemble any of the core elements of fire, air, water, or earth. • The first to suggest that some substances that looked like pure materials, like stone, were actually made up of a combination of different "elements