Ernest Marsden (Sir)
 

A Rishton lad! Ernest Marsden was born in Hermitage Street in 1889 and went to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School after winning a scholarship.
A Lancashire County Council scholarship gave him a place at Manc. University where he conducted a ground-breaking piece of work into the construction of the atom in 1909, whilst he was an undergraduate.
Largely unrecognised here because he emigrated to New Zealand in his 20's
He was knighted in 1958 and died in 1970

Re: Ernest Marsden (Sir)
 

Just where do you dig 'em up from Atarah? Never heard of the lad! (that's because I never use to go to Rishton!)

Re: Ernest Marsden (Sir)
 

Sir Ernest Marsden....

In his honours year at Manchester University Rutherford suggested a project to investigate the backwards scattering of alpha particles from a metal foil. He did this in conjunction with Hans Geiger, of Geiger counter fame, and it proved to be the key experiment in the demise of the plum pudding model of the atom leading directly to Rutherford's nuclear atom. Rutherford also recommended Marsden for the position of physics professor at what is now Victoria University in Wellington.

There is an nice simple powerpoint presentation and picture of him here
http://shelleyhs.digitalbrain.com/sh...%20Marsden.ppt

Here is another link in case the one above disappears :-
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-l...ion3/1911a.asp

This was a significant piece of work into the composition of the atom as most schoolchildren should know.

Nice one Atarah

Re: Ernest Marsden (Sir)
 

Ernest Marsden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ernest Marsden — National Library of New Zealand

Two more links, with information about Sir Ernest Marsden.