Ernest Rutherford: biography and contributions of this New Zealand physicist

This was the life of the physicist Ernest Rutherford, famous for his studies on radioactivity.

Ernest Rutherford is one of the most renowned researchers in the field of physics, since his discoveries in this field were many.

He was especially interested in the experimental field, that is, in the practical verification of his beliefs, in order to later establish theories. His main contributions were the discovery of the radioactive particles alpha, beta and gamma; the change of nature of the radioactive element when it disintegrates; and the approach of a new structure of the atom, formed by a nucleus.

In this biography of Ernest Rutherford we will review the most relevant events in the life of this researcher and the most relevant contributions he made to science.

Ernest Rutherford short biography.

Ernest Rutherford was born August 30, 1871 in Brightwater, New Zealand.. He was the son of James Rutherford who was a farmer and Martha Thompson who was a teacher. His parents always wanted to give a good education to their numerous children, there were twelve, Ernest being the fourth.

Youth and early formative years

From a very young age, his high capacities and his arithmetic skills were already highlighted, being a very curious child.He was a very inquisitive child. In this way he was able to enter Nelson College, where apart from his academic skills he was able to develop his physical abilities by being a rugby player.

After studying for three years at Nelson College he entered the Canterbury College of higher education, where he continued with the practice of rugby and was able to attend scientific clubs.

During his time at the University his high abilities in the field of scientific experimentation were already beginning to show, which, together with his always impeccable academic results, allowed him to continue his training and research at the University of New Zealand for a period of five years.

Given his good grades, after graduation he was fortunate enough to receive the only he was fortunate to receive the only scholarship in New Zealand to study mathematics, being awarded a Master of Arts degree for his good grades and participating in research in the field of mathematics. and to participate in research in the field of mathematics and physics.

He later obtained a bachelor of science degree in 1894, and a year later was able to continue his studies in Great Britain, at the Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge, under Joseph John Thompson, who was recognized in the field of science as the person who discovered the electron.

On a personal level, more specifically on a sentimental level, before traveling and settling in Great Britain, he became engaged to Mary Geordina Newton, a young woman he had met during his stay at Chriscruchs.a young woman he had met during his stay in Chriscruchs.

Consolidation of his professional life in the scientific field.

During his years at Cambridge he continued with the study of electromagnetic waves and how they could be received at a great distance.. His scientific career continued to advance, and he managed to present the results of his work to the Cambridge Physical Society and publish them in the scientific journal Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society of Physics..

At the beginning of his stay he also he also began to investigate, together with his laboratory director, J.J. Thompson, the effects produced by X-rays projected into a gas.Thus he discovered that these rays could ionize the air giving rise to a high number of charged particles, which could be both positive and negative and recombine to form neutral atoms.

Thus he also devised a technique for the purpose of measuring the speed of the ions and their rate of recombination, the opposite process to ionization, where electrons bind with positive ions.

Given the continuous research and discoveries that he was achieving, his recognition in the scientific field was increasing. Thus, in 1898 In 1898, he was offered the possibility of teaching at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he remained until 1907.where he remained until 1907. This new change allowed him to finally marry his fiancée Mary Newton in 1900 in New Zealand. In 1901 he welcomed his first and only daughter, named Eileen.

Research in the field of radioactivity.

During his stay in Montreal he became interested in the study of radioactivity.In 1896 the French physicist Henri Becquerel had discovered that uranium emitted a radiation not observed until then. Thus, three years later, in 1899, Rutherford studied how these uranium radiations could ionize the air, observing how the radiation penetrated different metallic plates with which the radioactive element was enveloped.

He was also able to observe and name he was able to observe and name three different types of radiation emitted by uranium: the one that penetrated the most, the one that penetrated the most, and the one that penetrated the most.He was also able to observe and name three different types of radiation emitted by uranium: the one that penetrated more, called beta, the one that penetrated less, called alpha, and a third one called gamma, which emits very energetic rays.

His research would now focus on the chemical element thorium, discovering that it also emits radiation and that it decreases exponentially over time, This allowed him to present a new concept in 1900: the period of the radioactive elements..

Given these new discoveries, in 1902, together with Frederick Soddy, Rutherford came to the conclusion that thorium emits radioactive atoms and that this emission is related to a disintegration of the chemical element, thus formulating the theory of natural radioactivity, which explained the spontaneous transformation of the elements..

In 1904 the Royal Society awarded him the Rumford Medal, rewarding and recognizing the important discoveries that this scientist had achieved so far. In the same year published a book entitled "Radioactivity" in which, among other approaches, he demonstrated the uncertainty of the principle of the unmodifiability of matter.Rutherford believed that radioactive elements, as they emitted radiation, were transformed into a new element with different chemical characteristics.

Rutherford believed that in the Earth's nucleus there were disintegrations that would be responsible for keeping the temperature of the planet constant. In this way he would collaborate with Otto Hahn, who discovered the nuclear fission of uranium and thorium.

In 1907 he moved to Manchester, as he was admitted as a professor at the University of Manchester. In this way, he began to collaborate with Hans Geiger. he began to collaborate with Hans Geiger, and together they were able to detect the alpha particles ejected by radioactive substances.From this line of research they were able to estimate Avogadro's number, which refers to the number of particles that constitute a substance, in a more direct way.

It was a year later, in 1908, when he was able to confirm what he had previously assumed; that the aforementioned alpha particles, when they shed their charge, become helium atoms. This discovery led him to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that same year.

One of his most important contributions to science was the formulation of a new atomic model in 1911, known as the Rutherford atomic model, where he proposed the existence of a nucleus in the nucleus of a nucleus.Rutherford's atomic model, where he proposes the existence of a nucleus in atoms, which would be constituted by the positive charge and formed by almost all the mass, wrapped by a crust or layer of electrons, negative charge.

World War I stage

During the period of World War I (1914-1918), the physicist focused on helping to detect submarines using sound waves. the physicist focused on helping to detect submarines using sound waves.. After the war, in 1919, he continued with the study of alpha particles and atoms, in this case nitrogen, observing how nitrogen is transformed into oxygen by absorbing alpha particles, thus achieving the first artificial transmutation.

On his return to Cambridge in 1919 he took up the post of director at the Cavendish Laboratory, replacing J.J. Thomson.. It is in this period when his contributions and influences in the field of nuclear physics were greatest.

Among the renowned physicists who studied in the laboratory during Rutherford's leadership were James Chadwick, who discovered the existence of the neutron; Niels Bohr, who proved that the atomic model proposed by Rutherford was stable; and Robert Oppenheimer, considered the creator of the atomic bomb.

Last years of life

During his stay at the Cavendish Laboratory, considered the most prosperous period of the physicist, golden age, he also obtained multiple awards.

For five years (1925-1930) he was president of the Royal Society, where he had been a member since 1903.He was a member of the Royal Society since 1903 and was awarded the Franklin Medal in 1924 and the Faraday Medal in 1936. In addition, in 1931 he was made Baron Rutherford of Nelson, having already held the title of Sir since 1914. Although all these recognitions and joys would be cut short by the death of his only daughter, Eileen, in 1930, when she was only 29 years old.

Also during this period, together with James Chadwick and Charles Drummond Ellis, he published the book "Radiations of Radioactive Substances" in 1930. published the book "Radiations of Radioactive Substances" in 1930, and seven years later he wrote the work "The New Alchemy"..

Ernest Rutherford died on October 19, 1937 after failing to fully recover and suddenly worsening from an operation he had undergone. His remains were buried in Westminster Abbey, giving him a place of honor next to Isaac Newton and William Thomson.