Ernest Rutherford Accomplishments

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Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) was born New Zealand and would become a very important scientist, winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and being knighted for his contributions to science. He helped to lay the groundwork for nuclear science, having discovered nuclear radiation and discovering its decaying effects on radioisotopes. He also used the results of his radioactivity experiments to create new discoveries on the composition of an atom. He was also known for creating the first artificial nuclear reaction and discovering the proton. Without Rutherford, many aspects of the atom, such as radioactivity, would not be at the stage they are at today. Rutherford is known for his instrumental role in developing our understanding of radioactivity. One of his first achievements was the discovery of two different kinds of nuclear radiation: one that was positively charged and one that was negatively charged. He called the positive radiation…show more content…
In the experiment, he fired alpha particles, which had been discovered to be helium atoms without electrons, at a sheet of gold foil. Some of the positively charged alpha particles passed through the foil, while some bounced off. These results gave Rutherford two findings: Firstly, there was empty space between the atoms of the gold foil for the alpha particles to pass through. Secondly, there was a small area of positive charge within each gold atom which repelled some of the alpha particles. From these findings, Rutherford created his nuclear model of the atom, where most of an atom's mass is concentrated in a small positively charged nucleus, which is then orbited by negatively charged protons. This atomic model would go on to be a foundation for Bohr's quantum model of the atom. Rutherford would then go on to further his discoveries, contributing even further to both nuclear physics and

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