Editing Democritus (section)

===Modern atomism===
The theory of the atomists appears to be more nearly aligned with that of modern science than any other theory of antiquity. However, the similarity with modern concepts of science can be confusing when trying to understand where the hypothesis came from. Classical atomists could not have had an empirical basis for modern concepts of atoms and molecules. The Democritean atom is an inert solid that excludes other bodies from its volume and interacts with other atoms mechanically. Quantum-mechanical [[atom]]s are similar in that their motion can be described by [[mechanics]] in addition to their electric, magnetic and quantum interactions. They are different in that they can be split into protons, neutrons, and electrons. The [[elementary particle]]s are similar to Democritean atoms in that they are indivisible but their [[collision]]s are governed purely by [[quantum physics]]. [[Fermion]]s observe the [[Pauli exclusion principle]], which is similar to the Democritean principle that atoms exclude other bodies from their volume. However, [[boson]]s do not, with the prime example being the elementary particle [[photon]].