Ernest Rutherford

Father of nuclear physics who discovered the atomic nucleus and the proton through scattering experiments.

Core Principles & Analysis

• His 1909-1911 gold-foil experiments revealed that atoms concentrate their mass in a tiny nucleus.
• Won the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on radioactive decay.
• Achieved the first artificial nuclear transmutation in 1917-1919, turning nitrogen into oxygen and identifying the proton.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1871 – 1937
• NOBEL PRIZE: Chemistry, 1908