In 1911, while investigating radioactivity and the effect of alpha radiation on thin metal foils, the British physicist Ernest Rutherford discovered that atoms contain most of their mass in a very dense center of positive charge called the nucleus. This discovery laid the groundwork for the development of nuclear physics. In addition, it led to a nuclear theory of atomic structure that allowed the properties and reactivities of the chemical elements to be understood in terms of the way electrons are arranged around the nucleus. |
Marianna A. Busch is the Chair and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Baylor University. Her Top 10 list centers on the most important scientific events of the 1900's. She discusses what these events meant to scientists and society in general. She calls attention to a number of the groundbreaking scientists who left their mark on the world of science in this century. |