Final answer:
The statement that atoms contain nuclei with electrons orbiting is associated with the early models of the atom developed by Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr in the early 20th century. Rutherford proposed the concept of a small, dense nucleus and Bohr refined it by suggesting that electrons orbit in fixed orbits with specific energy levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conception that atoms contain nuclei with electrons orbiting around them is a development from the early 20th century. Initially, J.J. Thomson proposed the plum pudding model which was later disproven by the gold foil experiment conducted by Ernest Rutherford. Rutherford proposed that atoms have a tiny, dense nucleus surrounded by electrons. This gave rise to the solar system model of the atom because it resembled electrons orbiting the nucleus similar to how planets orbit the sun. However, this model was insufficient to describe the stability of atoms.
It was the Da_nish physicist Niels Bohr who, in 1913, refined the concept by developing a model where electrons travel in fixed orbits with specific energy levels, each designated by a number and the symbol 'n.' Bohr's model solved the issue of atom stability by suggesting that electrons could only occupy certain discrete orbits and would not emit radiation while in these stable orbits. Changes in energy—and thus radiation emission—would only occur if an electron moved between these orbits, a groundbreaking concept that integrated quantum theory into atomic structure.