Editing Ernest rutherford (section)

== Major contributions ==

=== Discovery of the nucleus ===
In 1911, rutherford conducted the famous [[gold foil experiment]]. He bombarded thin gold foil with alpha particles and observed that most passed through, but a few were deflected.

This led to a revolutionary conclusion:
<blockquote>
"An atom's mass and positive charge are concentrated in a small central region – the [[nucleus]]."
</blockquote>

This contradicted the earlier [[plum pudding model]] and led to the development of the [[rutherford model]] of the atom.

=== Rutherford’s atomic model ===
* [[electrons]] orbit a dense, positively charged [[nucleus]]  
* the atom is mostly empty space  
* explained atomic scattering behavior

This model became the basis for future developments, including [[niels bohr]]'s planetary model.

=== Work on radioactivity ===
rutherford coined the terms:
* [[alpha radiation]] – positively charged particles  
* [[beta radiation]] – high-speed electrons  
* [[gamma radiation]] – high-energy electromagnetic waves

He also discovered that elements could be transformed—[[transmutation]]—by nuclear reactions, a major step in nuclear science.

=== First artificial nuclear reaction ===
In 1917, rutherford became the first person to deliberately change one element into another. He bombarded nitrogen with alpha particles to produce oxygen and a [[proton]], making him the discoverer of the [[proton]].