Ernest Rutherford

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ernest-rutherford

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ernest Rutherford born?August 30, 1871
2. When did Ernest Rutherford die?October 19, 1937 (age 66)
3. Where was Ernest Rutherford born?Nelson, New Zealand
4. What is the related topics?Nuclear energy, particle physics, quantum mechanics, radioactivity, atomic structure
5. Who was Ernest Rutherford and why is he important?Ernest Rutherford was a scientist from New Zealand who discovered that atoms have a tiny, heavy center called the nucleus. He is called the father of nuclear physics because his work started the field of studying atomic nuclei.
6. What did the gold foil experiment show?The gold foil experiment, led by Rutherford, showed that most of an atom is empty space. It revealed that a small, dense nucleus holds most of the atom’s mass and positive charge.

Atomic Nucleus: The dense, central core of an atom containing protons and neutrons, discovered by Rutherford.
Proton: A subatomic particle with a positive electric charge, found in the nucleus of every atom.
Radioactive Half-Life: The time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.
Nuclear Transmutation: The conversion of one chemical element or isotope into another through nuclear reactions.