Ernest Rutherford
The Father of Nuclear Physics
Where?
Ernest Rutherford did his work in New Zealand.
What he discovered...
He discovered the nucleus of the atom and radioactive rays that were positively and negatively charged.
How?
Electrons were chunks of plum distributed through a positively charged sphere of pudding. In 1911, Ernest Rutherford performed an experiment to test the plum pudding model. He fired energetic a [He2+] particles at a foil, and measured the deflection of the particles as they came out the other side.
Why its Important...
It is important to the atom because he discovered nuclear physics and that helped lead to the discovery of the electron.