THE MIGHTY ATOM

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 10140, 28 October 1925, Page 3

THE MIGHTY ATOM

ITS IMMENSE IMPORTANCE,

fSpecial to the Times. ) WELLINGTON, Oct. 26. To an interviewer, Professor Rutherford said it was now generally believed that, the atom was an entirely electrical structure consisting of positive and negative electric units, and it had been the object of research in physics during the past 30 years to find how the atom was built up and how one atom differed from another. Before we coukl understand the possibilities of matter it was essential that we should know the structure of the atom and have a clear grasp of its functions.

“When we consider what an exceedingly small body the atom is,” he said, “it m-av seem only of academic interest to investigate and find out its actual structure. But when we consider, he added, “that the whole inorganic world, is made by these atoms, it is obvious that we can have no clear conception of the work of nature until we know more aboiit the structure of these units. Experience has demonstrated in a thousand ways that every increase in the knowledge of the constitution of matter has alwaysresulted, sooner or later, in practical developments which arc of service to man. “For example,” ho continued, “the electron was discovered by scientific men who were investigating the problem of electricity through gases, and they then had no idea of the practical utility of their discovery. _ As we now know, however, the whole question of the transmission ard reception of wireless waves depends on the utilisation of such electrons and a complete knowledge of the problems. The whole material development of each country lias been largely the result of such pure science investigations. undertaken in university and other laboratories, mainly with the idea of adding to our knowledge and not with the aim of achieving practical results. Thus it was that Faraday made the discoveries which have led to the employment of electrical machinery worth millions of pounds.