![]() ![]() it learnt you a lot and you knew what to do and what not to do. “Well, he'd tell you what he wanted, roughly, you see, but he'd let you make what you wanted, you see, he'd tell you what he was going to do, which was very good, you see. You know, when he did his work, you know, oftener than not, he used to tell me and we did a rough experiment, re.” We used to, I used to set up nearly all his apparatus. did Rutherford actually make any apparatus himself?” “When you were here, during this period. The questioner was Samuel Devons (1914–2006), who was one of Rutherford's last students in the 1930s. The language is quaint, but the description is as close to Rutherford's approach as we get. In 1957, Kay thought back to his youth with Rutherford in an interview. Rutherford promoted Kay to laboratory steward in 1908, to manage lab equipment and to aid him in his research. Rutherford's early team at Manchester included Geiger and William Kay (1879–1961), junior laboratory assistant since 1894. Birks, ed., Rutherford at Manchester (London: Heywood & Co., 1962), opposite p. Front and center are Professors Schuster and Rutherford, and centered in the rear is William Kay, the talented and helpful laboratory steward. In this group photo of 1910 are Ernest Marsden and Hans Geiger. Rutherford always gathered a group of bright young researchers around him. That is, he was leaving radio-chemistry to others and turning to physics. Rutherford was gradually turning his attention much more to the α (alpha), β (beta), and γ (gamma) rays themselves and to what they might reveal about the atom. Boltwood and Hahn both worked with Rutherford in Manchester, Boltwood in 1909–1910 and Hahn in 1907–1908. He was not done with the puzzles of the decay families of thorium, radium, etc., but he was passing much of this work to Boltwood, Hahn, and Soddy. Rutherford arrived with many research questions in mind. Rutherford invited him in hope that Boltwood, a great chemist, would purify ionium, but he failed as many others. And also a chap Robinson, who worked on beta rays. Geiger and Makower published a book together. And also an assistant named Makower, who died since. He showed that ionium and sodium have the same spectrum. An Italian, Rossi, did spectroscopic work. I remember Moseley very well, with whom I was on very friendly terms. But apart from the shortcomings it was a very fine lab, nice rooms, and lots of people working there-able people. So years went on without apparatus being cleaned. And of course you were not supposed to clean it. Now the microscope was fixed and then you were not supposed to touch it. But of course also a microscope to read the electroscope. ![]() And you charge the electroscope by sealing wax which you rubbed on your trousers. You have to build it yourself of cocoa boxes, gold leaf and sulfur isolation. Now the technique used in Rutherford’s lab was to fit up an electroscope. And of course everywhere you see smoke there, everywhere the smoke. Namely, Manchester is very foggy, foggy and smoky. I found Rutherford's place very busy, hard working. You need Flash Player installed to listen to this audio clip. Rutherford entered the center of the physics world. (1882–1945) because of his experimental skill, and endowed a new position in mathematical physics to round out a full physics program. Schuster had built a modern physics building, hired Hans Geiger, Ph.D. He had been named Langworthy Professor of Physics, successor to Arthur Schuster (1851–1934), who retired at age 56 to recruit Rutherford. ![]() Rutherford arrived in Manchester in the summer of 1907, months before the university's term began. AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Brittle Books Collection. Credit: From the book: The physical laboratories of the University of Manchester: a record of 25 years' work by the University of Manchester, Manchester: At the University Press, 1906. For comparison, Rutherford's generous salary was £1,600/year. At the urging of his predecessor, Arthur Schuster, over £40,000 was raised to endow the physics program. When Rutherford became professor at Manchester in 1907, he found modern labs for both teaching and research. It involved hard work and perplexity and inspiration. The story as it unfolded in Rutherford's lab at the University in Manchester revolved around real people. So this hints that perhaps the story of the discovery of the nucleus was more complicated. But can discovery be the same for a realm hidden from sight? One cannot see an atom in that sense. But what does that statement mean? Geographical discovery usually means that one sees a place for the first time. We read this in textbooks and in popular writings. Sections ← Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next → Alpha Particles and the Atom Rutherford at Manchester, 1907–1919Įrnest Rutherford discovered the nucleus of the atom in 1911.
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