Ernest Rutherford Essay Cont Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ernest Rutherford Cont - Essay Example In 1971, Earnest continued to make contributions in the field of physics through a series of experiments and would later discover that it was possible to disintegrate nuclei of light elements like nitrogen using energy from alpha particles of radioactive materials. Therefore, Earnest was the first to induce an artificial nuclear reaction, and his idea is the basis for nuclear reactions in the modern world for producing energy and weaponry. He is famous for coining the names alpha, beta, and gamma rays in a bid to classify the various forms of rays since the concept was barely understandable in those days (Nobel Media 1). In this case, the scientist made a significant contribution to electromagnetic radiation. Furthermore, Ernest observed that radioactivity of objects reduced with time (Rutherford 17). Eventually, he came up with the term half-life as the time it takes for the radioactive materials to disintegrate thus the scientist was the one who set the laws governing radioactive decay. In addition, Rutherford is the scientist behind the nuclear model of atoms where he inferred that an atom comprise a nucleus that is surrounded by many orbiting electrons and his conclusion is how modern science view atoms (Weisstein 1). Earnest‘s contribution in nuclear physics has contributed to a great deal in the area of modern physics and chemistry (Weisstein 1). The concept of radioactivity, especially the alpha, beta, and gamma rays is the basis for understanding how solar radiation reaches the earth and the overall effect on atmospheric temperature. Earnest found that gamma rays were of high frequencies and if they reached the earths surface, the temperatures could be high and unbearable for the inhabitants (Rutherford 1). In this case, Earnest made an important contribution for the modern scientists to understand how issues like global warming and