ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Alfred O. C. Nier

Alfred O. C. Nier was a very smart scientist who studied the very small things that make up everything around us, called atoms.

He wanted to find out how to measure the amount of different types of atoms in a substance. To do this, he used a machine called a mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer helped him to sort out the different atoms in a substance based on their weight.

It's kind of like sorting marbles by size or color. He wanted to know how many blue marbles, green marbles, and red marbles were in a jar. The mass spectrometer helped him figure out how many of each type of atom was in a substance.

This type of work is really important because it helps scientists understand how different materials are put together and how they behave. It's kind of like taking apart a toy to see how it works so you can make it better or fix it.

So Alfred O. C. Nier was a really important scientist who helped us learn more about atoms and how to measure them. Thanks to his work, we can understand more about the world around us!