Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford (pronounced: /ˈɜːrnɪst ˈrʌðərfɔːrd/), born on August 30, 1871, and died on October 19, 1937, was a New Zealand-born British physicist who is often referred to as the father of nuclear physics. The term "Rutherford" is derived from the Old English words "hryther" meaning cattle and "ford" meaning a river crossing.
Early Life and Education
Ernest Rutherford was born in Brightwater, New Zealand. He attended Nelson College before earning a scholarship to study at Canterbury College, University of New Zealand. He later moved to England to conduct research at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.
Career and Contributions
Rutherford is best known for his pioneering work in the field of radioactivity, a term he coined himself. He discovered the concept of radioactive half-life and proved that radioactivity involved the transmutation of one chemical element to another. He also differentiated between alpha and beta radiation.
In 1911, Rutherford proposed the Rutherford model of the atom, which was a significant step towards the modern understanding of the atom's structure. He postulated that atoms have their charge concentrated in a very small nucleus, and thereby pioneered the Rutherford scattering experiment.
Rutherford was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Ernest Rutherford
- Wikipedia's article - Ernest Rutherford
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