Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford is considered to be the father of nuclear physics, having invented the language to describe the atom and the phenomenon of radioactivity. He is also credited with discovering the alpha and beta particles and the neutron. His work also helped elucidate the half-life of the proton and the decay constant of radioactive particles. His work also showed that transmutation occurs through radioactive decay.
Rutherford was able to observe the effects of a proton on other atoms by firing alpha particles into the air. He analyzed the signatures of these particles and then traced them to nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere. He also observed a stronger effect when the nitrogen gas was pure.
After Rutherford’s experiment, physicists realized that the hydrogen nucleus had a fundamental role in the structure of the atom. They also discovered that a given amount of hydrogen nuclei could account for the positive charge in any atom. By the end of the 1920s, physicists had come to refer to hydrogen nuclei as ‘protons’. The term ‘proton’ first appeared in print in 1920.
Rutherford also discovered the electron and the neutron. While these two particles were formerly considered elementary particles, they are now considered subatomic particles and are present in atoms. The proton is positively charged, whereas the electron has a negative charge. Both are equally important for understanding the structure of matter, and their properties have a huge impact on our lives.
After Rutherford’s discovery, he became famous and married a New Zealand woman. His publications became popular and he was in great demand as a speaker and author of magazine articles. In addition, he wrote a leading textbook on radioactivity. He won several awards and received fellowships from the Royal Society of London.
J.J. Thomson
In 1897, the British scientist J.J. Thomson discovered the proton. He was investigating an early cathode ray tube when he observed a small, silvery substance he called a “corpuscle”. Thomson noticed that the mass to charge ratio of this substance was the same as that of an electron. This led him to propose that the corpuscles were the constituents of the atom. Today, we know the proton as the positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of atoms. His discovery helped to prove that atoms had complex structure.
Thomson was born in Manchester, England, and studied mathematics before turning to physics. He discovered the electron in 1897 and also performed the first mass spectrometry experiments. His work led to the discovery of isotopes and made valuable contributions to the understanding of positively charged particles. He led the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.
Thomson won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1906. His discovery of the electron was crucial in the development of modern chemistry. He also won the knighthood in 1908. Thomson was the first person to discover the electron. Although he was clumsy with his hands, he was brilliant in designing apparatus.
Thomson’s work was controversial. Although his discovery of the electron led to the discovery of the proton, he remained skeptical of the findings. Even after he won the Nobel Prize for his work, he continued to refer to his creations as “corpuscles.” Thomson’s work impacted the world’s understanding of the electron.
Thomson’s work in 1899 helped scientists to determine the charge per particle. This was based on the number of particles in a system, the total charge, and other electrical measurements. Thomson drew inspiration from a European legend that claims that the coffin of Prophet Mohammad was suspended by magnets in the center of his tomb. In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft made a similar reference.
Bohr
The proton is an elementary particle that exists in the nucleus of atoms. It is named after Niels Bohr, who lived from 1885 to 1962. In the early 20th century, Bohr developed a model to explain electron radiation. While his theory sounds a bit strange, it has been confirmed by numerous experiments.
Bohr’s early model of the atom incorporated both atomic structure and electron behavior. Bohr’s model showed that electrons in the atom could only occupy a certain distance away from the nucleus. He attributed this phenomenon to the fact that the electrons in atoms could only be in certain orbits.
Later, a British physicist named James Chadwick discovered the neutron. He had conducted experiments similar to those of Rutherford to identify the nucleus of the atom. In one experiment, he fired atomic bullets at a sheet of gold foil. Though most of these bullets passed through the foil, a small percentage bounced back toward the source. This resulted in a new particle with the same mass as a proton.
In 1912, Bohr was a student of Rutherford. He took over his mentor’s project to decipher the structure of the atom. After about a year, Bohr had a working model of the hydrogen atom. The proton is an elementary particle with a mass of one electron.
Bohr’s model describes how the electrons absorb energy from photons and then jump to a higher energy level. This excited state causes the electron to be less stable. It must emit photons to return to a more stable state and relax.
