The Life of Ernest Rutherford

The Life of Ernest Rutherford

Corinne Chiasson

Table of Contents

Schooling

Personal Info

Radioactivity

Canadian

Contribution Atom Structures

Accomplishments

Theory Basis

Gold Foil

Experiment

Honors and

Awards

Personal Information

• Ernest Rutherford was born on Aug. 30, 1871 in Bridgewater, New Zealand.

• He was born to father James and mother Martha.

• He was the forth of twelve children.

http://www.physics.gla.ac.uk/introPhy/Famous/rutherford/rutherford.html

• Rutherford was a successful student, though he did not show any real interest in science.

• At Nelson College, he won chief prizes in classics, history, English literature, French,and mathematics.

• It was not until 1889, when he went to Canterbury College that he began to study chemistry and physics.

• In1895, Rutherford won a scholarship from Cambridge University where he carried out postgraduate research under J.J. Thomson (the father of the electron).

Canadian Contribution

• In 1898, Rutherford applied for the professorship of physics at McGill University, in Montreal.

• He was choosen at the age of 26.

• His research here was mainly radioactivity.

Radioactivity

• He identified the alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.

• In 1902, he and Frederick Soddy put forward the theory that a radioactive atom changes to a different atom on the emission of radiation.

•http://www.lbl.gov/abc/experiments/Experiment7.html

This theory was based on:

1 Radioactivity is unaffected by changes in external conditions.

2 Radioactivity of uranium, thorium, and radium is maintained by production of new kinds of radioactive matter.

3 Different chemical properties from the parent element.

4 Huge heat emission is given off.

• Published his first paper on radiation in 1903.

• Published his first book on the subject in 1904.

• Professor of physics at the U. of Manchester in 1907

• Received the nobel prize in chemistry for his work in radioactivity in 1908.

Structure of the Atom

•http://www.physics.nus.edu.sg/~phyteoe/teaching/pc1325/lect15/

Gold Foil Experiment Lead To:

• Mass in central nucleus• positive nucleus with a

very small diameter• charge balanced by

electrons• electrons a relatively

long distance away• basis of the ‘new’

nuclear science•http://www.physics.nus.edu.sg/~phyteoe/teaching/pc1325/lect15/

Honors and Awards

• Honorary degrees from 13 British, 4 Dominion, and 8 foreign universities

• Rumford metal (1904)

• Copley metal of the Royal Society (1922)

• honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians

• President of the Rotal Society (1925-1930)

• Knighted in1914

Credits

• http://www.physics.gla.ac.uk/introPhy/Famous/rutherford.html

• http://www.physics.nus.edu.sg/~phyteoe/teaching/pc1325/lect15/

• http://www.lbl.gov/abc/experiments/Experiment7.html