Ernest Rutherford

Profession: Scientist

Nationality:

Biography: Ernest Rutherford was a New Zealand-born physicist known as the father of nuclear physics. His discovery of the concept of radioactive half-life, proof of the nuclear structure of the atom, and identification and naming of alpha and beta radiation form the basis of the modern understanding of the atom.

Rutherford's early work in radiation was groundbreaking. He was the first to realize that radioactive elements decayed at a predictable rate, a concept known as half-life. His studies of uranium and thorium put him at the forefront of research in the field of radioactivity, a term he actually coined.

Rutherford made perhaps his most significant contribution to physics with his gold foil experiment in 1909. He discovered that when alpha particles were fired at a thin sheet of gold foil, some were deflected back, suggesting that atoms were mostly empty space with a dense nucleus at the center. This was a revolutionary concept, challenging the then-accepted model of the atom.

In 1917, Rutherford achieved the first artificially induced nuclear reaction. He was able to change nitrogen into oxygen by bombarding it with alpha particles. This experiment confirmed the concept of nuclear transmutation, that elements could change identity with changes to their atomic nucleus. This work laid the groundwork for the field of nuclear physics and earned Rutherford the title "father of nuclear physics."

Born: August 30, 1871
Birthplace: Brightwater, New Zealand
Star Sign: Virgo

Died: October 19, 1937 (aged 66)
Cause of Death: Intestinal paralysis