Don't let me catch anyone talking about the Universe in my department. Ernest Rutherford More Quotes by Ernest Rutherford More Quotes From Ernest Rutherford Radioactivity is shown to be accompanied by chemical changes in which new types of matter are being continually produced. .... The conclusion is drawn that these chemical changes must be sub-atomic in character. Ernest Rutherford chemicalsmattercharacter From the results so far obtained it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the long-range atoms arising from collision of alpha particles with nitrogen are not nitrogen atoms but probably atoms of hydrogen, or atoms of mass 2. If this be the case, we must conclude that the nitrogen atom is disintegrated under the intense forces developed in a close collision with a swift alpha particle, and that the hydrogen atom which is liberated formed a constituent part of the nitrogen nucleus. Ernest Rutherford hydrogen-atomatomslong You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 10-12 to 1. Ernest Rutherford oddsshouldscience It is essential for men of science to take an interest in the administration of their own affairs or else the professional civil servant will step in - and then the Lord help you. Ernest Rutherford administrationessentialsmen That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting. Ernest Rutherford stamp-collectingstampsphysics An alleged scientific discovery has no merit unless it can be explained to a barmaid. Ernest Rutherford barmaidsmeritdiscovery Splitting the atom is like trying to shoot a gnat in the Albert Hall at night and using ten million rounds of ammunition on the off chance of getting it. That should convince you that the atom will always be a sink of energy and never a reservoir of energy. Ernest Rutherford gnatstryingnight The year 1896 ... marked the beginning of what has been aptly termed the heroic age of Physical Science. Never before in the history of physics has there been witnessed such a period of intense activity when discoveries of fundamental importance have followed one another with such bewildering rapidity. Ernest Rutherford heroscienceyears Should a young scientist working with me come to me after two years of such work and ask me what to do next, I would advise him to get out of science. After two years of work, if a man does not know what to do next, he will never make a real scientist. Ernest Rutherford hard-workrealknowledge You know, I am sorry for the poor fellows that haven't got labs to work in. Ernest Rutherford labssorryscience If your result needs a statistician then you should design a better experiment. Ernest Rutherford funny-sciencedesignneeds I congratulate you both on a fine piece of work which I am sure will ultimately prove of importance. I am personally very much interested in your results... In the past I have tried a number of experiments... but without any success. Ernest Rutherford piecesnumberspast All scientific men will be delighted to extend their warmest congratulations to Tesla and to express their appreciation of his great contributions to science. Ernest Rutherford congratulationsappreciationmen If, as I have reason to believe, I have disintegrated the nucleus of the atom, this is of greater significance than the war. Ernest Rutherford apologywarbelieve The great object is to find the theory of the matter [of X-rays] before anyone else, for nearly every professor in Europe is now on the warpath. Ernest Rutherford raysmattereurope The greatest contributor to the feeling of tension and fear of war arose from the power of the bombing aeroplane. If all nations would consent to abolish air bombardment . . . that would mean the greatest possible release from fear. Ernest Rutherford airwarmean A good scientific theory should be explicable to a barmaid. Ernest Rutherford barmaidstheoryshould [From uranium] there are present at least two distinct types of radiation one that is very readily absorbed, which will be termed for convenience the α radiation, and the other of a more penetrative character, which will be termed the β radiation. Ernest Rutherford charactertwoscience Of all created comforts, God is the lender; you are the borrower, not the owner. Ernest Rutherford ownercreatedyougod
