Ernest Rutherford

Ernest Rutherford

Sarah StraubP.3

"If it were ever possible to control at will the rate of disintegration of the radio elements, an enormous amount of energy could be obtained from a small amount of matter." - Ernest Rutherford

Gold Foil Experimentdeveloped in 1904

August 30, 1871 - October 19, 1937

"Father of Nulear Science"

Ernest Rutherford was responsible for the discoveries in the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics. One of his most important experiments was the nuclear structure of the atom and also the gold foil experiment.

Hans Geiger Ernest Marsden and Ernest Rutherford discussing the Gold Foil Experiment.

Rutherford was the first graduate student of J.J Thomson, where he worked with Thomson, experimenting with the transmission of radio waves. He contributed to Thomson's ongoing investigation of the conduction of electricity through gases. Through the experiences he then turned to the field of radioactivity just opened up by Henri Becquerel and Pierre and Marie Curie.

Gold foil Experiment Video

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* http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-rutherford-39099 * http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history/themes/atomic-and-nuclear-structure/rutherford.aspx* http://www.rugusavay.com/ernest-rutherford-photos/* http://myweb.usf.edu/~mhight/ruthexp.gif

Awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his theory of atomic structure.