Ernest chemist biography

A pioneer of nuclear physics and the first to split the atom, Ernest Rutherford was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his theory of atomic structure. He was the fourth of 12 children and the second son. His father, James, had little education and struggled to support the large family on a flax millers' income. Weekends were spent swimming in the creek with his brothers.

At the age of 10, Rutherford was handed his first science book, at Foxhill School.

Ernest chemist daughter wedding

It was a pivotal moment for Rutherford, given that the book inspired his very first scientific experiment. In he was awarded a scholarship to attend Nelson Collegiate School, a private secondary school where he would board and play rugby until Rutherford obtained both his Bachelor of Arts and his Master of Arts degrees there, and managed to achieve first-class honors in math and science.

In , still at Canterbury, Rutherford conducted independent research on the ability of high-frequency electrical discharge to magnetize iron. The couple married in and later welcomed a daughter, whom they named Eileen. Thomson to collaborate on a study of X-rays.