NUCLEUS OF THE ATOM

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 10871, 15 April 1929, Page 7

NUCLEUS OF THE ATOM

ROYAL SOCIETY'S DKB ATI

All tiie world is intrigued over Einstein's live-page pamphlet in which lie oversets Newton and hisuccessors (states a London correspondent). While it is given lo lew to understand its abstract mathematics, many are Dying Impeluily to attain at least a glimpse of the true* inwardness of Einstein’s ideas. I* or that reason it is perhaps useful to transmit a note on a session ol the Royal Society, of which Sir Ernest Rutherford, the distinguished Now Ziealander, is president. It was devoted to ill-cussing tlic nucleus of the atom, and conceptions of the atomic theory like nil others arc bound to be influenced by Einstein's t l.irotv.

Tlir presidriit recalled that almost exact ly fifteen years ago a dismission on the same subject luid been <>j)i‘ll- - by liitm-elf and contributed to by .Moseley, Soddy, .Nicliolson and others. ,\ t the meeting Alo'Seley described Ins tlieoiy of atomic numbers and showed tlie gaps in tile series ot elements some of which had boon tilled in since I’rofe-Ssor Soddy had iormulated the conception of isotopes, since greatly elabrated hy Aston. To-day various workers, experimental and mathematical, would explain how their lines of investigation could contribute to tile present slate of knowledge, hut, fortunately, it would probably be found that, when another generation held another, discussion, the researches of to-day had left a suliioiently wide field open. The general trend of the jlcbate showed that the electron and proton were no longer to be regarded as abstract points, the mere centres of negative and positive energy. hut were surrounded by fields, possibly magnetic, in character and giving the units characters, probably not simultaneously exhibited, of a 'particle and of a field. Tiro njuelei were almost certainly composed of protons, very closely packed so as to form an almost crystalline centre with an outer much looser covering of alpha particles, and possibly of electrons, although some speakers doubted the 'possibility of such an association ol electrons and alpha pprticles. The whole nucleus was enclosed in a field of high potential, more difficult to penetrate in the case of/ the elements below copper in the scale, and becoming more penetrable up towards the radio-active' elements. culminating in uranium. When an atom was. bombarded by alpa particles these ■had. to pierce the barr'er before they could reach the nucleus and disintegrate or alter it by the detachment of some of its particle o . It was difficult to sec how the’ barrier could bo penetrated on the classical theory, but on the now wave-mechanics there wore ways by which ■ a few particles might slip through a barrier they .could 1 not leap over. Although tho more .eojnmQn view was that' the nuclei of atoms were, so to speak, Professor 0. W. Richardson insisted on tlie. evidence in favor of their being in rotation.