ERNEST RUTHERFORD

THE LIFE OF ERNEST RUTHERFORD

• Born 1871 in New Zealand
• Low income family
• His mother placed an emphasis on education
• Inspired at age 10 by his first science book
• British Physicist

COLLEGE

• Nelson Collegiate School and Canterbury College
• First-class honors in math and science
• Conducted research on the ability of high-frequency electrical discharge to magnetize iron
• Earned a Bachelor of Science in one year

ACHIEVMENTS &CONTRIBUTIONS

• Led the exploration of nuclear physics
• First to split the atom
• 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his theory of atomic structure
• Refered to as "Father of the Nuclear Age"
• Conducted research at Cambridge

Rutherford made the groundbreaking discovery that nearly the total mass of an atom is concentrated in a nucleus.

Rutherford stated that there was then no way that the energy of the atom could be extracted efficiently and he personally hoped that methods would not be discovered until man was living at peace with his neighbours.