A FAMOUS NEW ZEALAND SCIENTIST'S WORK

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 78, 1 April 1922, Page 17

A FAMOUS NEW ZEALAND SCIENTIST'S WORK

The great world of science is throbbing with the excitement of two momentous discoveries, which, at'first sight, appear to be entirely dissociated. Further acquaintance, however, proves them to be closely connected by one great fact, the elucidation of which is the basic purpose of the above drawing. Of these aforesaid discoveries, pride of place must be given to the epoch-making announcement that Sir Ernest Rutherford, working quietly in his laboratory at Cambridge, has actually succeeded in releasing some of the terrific almost incalculable energy contained in that miscroscopic wonder—the atom. Thus has he unlocked a store house of power to all intents inexhaustible, a stores house beside which coal, steam, oil, and gas as prime movers fade into insignificance. True, Sir Ernest haa not yet succeeded in harnessing this atomic energy, but hope runs high, and science waits with bated breath to hear soon of further discoveries in this particular direction. It is probable that we stand at the beginning of a new era, the age of atomic energy, when all the mechanical servants of man will rely on this wonderful force for their propulsion.

One need not be highly technical to understand something of the experiments Sir Ernest has brought to such success. They depend, in the main, on a knowledge of the-, constitution or construction of the atom, that minute particle regarded up to recent years as the smallest piece of matter existent. It is now known, however, that an atom contains a "nucleus" positively charged, surrounded by extremely minute negative electrons, the whole forming a combination electrically neutral. Now the nuclei of atoms, although only about one millionth of a millionth part of a centimetre in diameter, contain tremendous kinetic energy. It is this energy, called atomic energy, which Sir Ernest Rutherford has succeeded in releasing. This was accomplished by "bombarding" the nuclei of various atoms with equally minute and high velocity nuclei of helium. By this means it was found possible to force out or release nuclei containing greater kinetic energy than the nuclei ejecting them. In other words, a "profit" of kinetic energy was obtained. At present, of course, the amount of profit is small, but an intensification of the effect will immediately make a vast supply of "easy power" available. —r'roui "The Sphere.