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