A GREAT NEW ZEALANDER

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1931, Page 11

A GREAT NEW ZEALANDER

WORK OF LORD RUTHERFORD. “The Life and Work of Lord Rutherford of elson’ was the subject of an address by Professor R. Jack before a audience at a combined meeting of the Otago Historical Association and the Otago Institute in the physics lecture room of the Otago University recently. The lecturer gave a very complete account of Lord Rutherford’s work, and by means of lantern slides and demonstrations, as well as lucid explanations of his discoveries, was able to give the audience a close insight into all the notable contributions that have been tnade to science by one whom Professor Jack described as the foremost New Zealander. Dr Elder, who presided, said that it was fitting that the address should be given within the precincts of the University, because it emphasised the fact that the University was, from day to day, doing work, the importance of which the public was apt to forget. Lord Rutherford had had a profound influence on the world of science, and it was very satisfactory to know that in the University was a man who could ascend to the mountain top with Lord Rutherford and convey to the man in the street knowledge of the great scientist’s work. Physics was a subject in which the ground seemed to change overnight, and it said a great deal for the thoroughness and enthusiasm of Professor Jack that he was able to keep himself up to date with the most recent movements. Professor Jack said that a fact that increased his pleasure in delivering the lecture was that he had had the pleasure at the beginning of the year of spending an evening with Lord Rutherford’s mother in New Plymouth. She was now 88 years of age, but she was still greatly interested in her son and his work. It was fitting that the lecture should be given in the room which the audience at present occupied, because it was there that Lord Rutherford had lectured when he had visited Dunedin a short time ago. It was a pleasure to speak of his work because it gave an opportunity to emphasise what a great New Zealander he was. He was a man who stood out at the very top in science, and it was not generally realised what a very big man he was. It was a great pleasure to think what heights he, a New Zealander, had attained, and it was interesting to study those qualities which had led him on and up to his achievement. - •

The lecturer quoted from a letter which Lord Rutherford’s mother had written to Dr Marsden giving particulars of her son’s early life. It stated that he had Been born on August 30, 1871, and was the fourth child of the family. He had passed the First Standard at the age of six, and the Sixth at the age of 10. He had attended Nelson College from 1887 to 1889. Professor Jack added that Lord Rutherford had gone to Canterbury College in 1890, and in 1894 had secured first-class honours in mathematics and physics. In 1895 he had secured his B.Sc. degree. The Exhibition scholarship that year had been won by a student named M’Laurin, who had been unable to accept it. It had been given to Rutherford, and had started him on his career in England. On arrival at Cambridge he had begun a study of the effect of electric oscillation on iron, and had invented a magnetic detector. The principle of this had later been used in the Marconi detector. This had shown early his aptitude for research. After only three years at Cambridge he had been appointed a professor at M'Gill University, Montreal, and in 1907 had been appointed a professor at Manchester. Italy had recognised his ability by awarding him the Bressa prize, and in the same year, 1908, he had won the Nobel prize. He had returned to Cambridge as director of the Cavendish Laboratories in 1919. Since then honours had been showered upon him, He had been president of the British Association and the Royal Society, and this year had been elevated to the peerage.

AT CAMBRIDGE. Lord Rutherford had entered Cambridge” in December, 1895, at a very critical period in the history of physics, in that Rontgen had just discovered X-rays, leading thought along new' lines. A great man, Sir J. J. Thomson, had been in charge of the Cavendish Laboratories, and he had gathered round him a wonderful band of men. Lord Rutherford had been one of the most enthusiastic and most able of all that band. It had been noticed that X-rays when they struck against a phosphorescent screen had started to give out light. It had been natural to think that any substance that was phosphorescent would give out X-rays, and a French scientist, Becquerel, had conducted the first research into radio activity. Monsieur and Madame Curie had continued the investigations and had isolated radium, the most active substance of all. Other radio-active substances were uranium and thorium. It was interesting to note that Lord Rutherford had recently stated that there were only six ounces of radium in the whole world, and their value was £3,000,000 or £4,000,000. About four ounces were in the United States, where most of the gold was also to be found. Its price was high mainly because only an amount of radium equal to the weight of a glove button could be obtained from 500 tons of stone. Lord Rutherfdrd had discovered in 1900 that thorium gave off a gas, and that, in this case, it had radio-active parts. This gas he had called thorium emanation, and his investigations had led to his first great discovery, the disintegration theory. He had shown that radium, uranium, and thorium were continuelly throwing off parts of themselves and becoming lighter. The lecturer went on to discuss atoms or molecules. He stated that if a drop of water could be magnified to the size of the earth each molecule in it would be the size of a football. It had been discovered that all substances were made up of 90 other substances, all different. An atom had been thought of as indivisible, and there were 90 different kinds of atoms. Rutherford had given this illustration of the size of an atom. If the number of people in the world were estimated at 1,000,000,000 and all were set to the task of counting the number of atoms in the space represented by the end of one’s thumb they might count the atoms in the space of 1000 years. But the world had learned about the inside of the atom from Lord Rutherford. He had discovered that atoms were composed of protons and electrons. He had also shown that radium gave off rays—alpha, beta, and gamma rays—and that it eventually changed]

into light. There was, however, no need to worry, because its weight was reduced by only half in 2000 years. What remained was reduced by half in a further 2000 years, and so on. Therefore it would be a long time before a quantity of radium was completely changed into light. Lord Rutherford’s second great discovery had been the unclear theory of

the atom. This meant that the tiny atom was just like the solar system. Just as round the sun went a series of planets, so round the nucleus of the atom went the electrons. Before 1911 no such idea had been put forward, and this had been a daring departure from preconceived ideas. His third discovery was known as artificial disintegration,. One often heard of people trying to change one substance into another —usually into gold. The first man to make such a transformation had been Lord Rutherford. He had taken alpha particles and shot them against aluminium, which had given out hydrogen. It had been the first artificial transmutation. All light substances, he had found, gave out hydrogen. He had discovered that in doing this he had released energy out of the atom and had shown that concentrated in the atom was an enormous amount of energy. If the energy in a small piece of iron could be released it would be sufficient to blow all the navies of the world into the air. If the key were found it would not be necessary for people to do any more work. Lord Rutherford was showing the way to harness the atom. His fourth and last discovery was

the structure of the nucleus, but this was only in the process of elucidation. This was gradually being solved, and was helping to show how the energy within the atom might be used. Messages from the nucleus were being read. Mankind learned about the stars by collecting their light, analysing it, and finding the substances of which the stars were composed. In the same way the nucleus was sending out its messages. It was pleasing to know that men were going from New Zealand to contribute towards the extension of that knowledge.

Dealing with Lord Rutherford’s personal attributes, the lecturer stated that he was full of fun and entered wholeheartedly into a joke. Yet no man was more enthusiastic about his business. The telegram which he had sent to his mother when he had been made a peer gave an insight into his character. It had stated: "Now Lord Rutherford. Honour more yours than mine. Love. Ernest.” He was a great experimenter and seized every opportunity that came his way. He was modest, yet had a firm belief in himself. ’Though a hard worker he was fond of a game of golf and motoring. He was kindly by nature and at no time a slacker. He could almost be compared with a big schoolboy. Around him in the labdratory he had men of all nations and all wanted to do their best, for him. The lecturer concluded by expressing the hope that he had helped his audience to realise some of the greatness of this man whom he thought the foremost New Zealander.

Professor Jack was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr G. Simpson.