Ernest Rutherford

Biography

• born August 30, 1871 in Nelson, New Zealand 
• studied at Canterbury College, University of New Zealand  
• post grad degree and research at Cambridge
• married Mary Georgina Newton in 1900
• died of a strangulated hernia in 1937

Gold Foil Experiment

• Rutherford fired radioactive particles at thin metallic foil
• vast majority of the particles passed through the foil
• 1/8000 particles were deflected
• >developed the theory that atoms are made up of mostly empty space

ATomic Theory

• Most of the mass of an atom is contained in a small, central nucleus
• the rest is mostly empty space with negative, orbiting electrons 
• his theory > father of nuclear physics