Ernest Rutherford: Father Of Nuclear Science (Great Minds of Science)

Presents the life and accomplishments of the man who established the orbital theory of the atom.

Grade 6 Up–Pasachoff details how Rutherford rose from early childhood poverty in rural New Zealand to become one of the world's greatest scientists. His groundbreaking discoveries include elements' mutability and radioactivity and the nuclear structure of the atom. The experiments behind these discoveries are carefully explained, making readers aware that Rutherford was painstakingly researching phenomena he could not see. By using innovative chemical and physical methods, he did prove his theories, though. This originality in experimentation yielded him a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1908. Pasachoff skillfully interweaves Rutherford's accomplishments with the recurrent themes that education, study, and perseverance create opportunity. The text is complemented by 11 black-and-white captioned illustrations and an activities section. The index is incomplete; for example, Guglielmo Marconi is discussed in the book, but not listed. Despite this shortcoming, the book will be useful in science curriculums as contemporary biographies about Rutherford for this audience are rare. J. L. Heilbron's Ernest Rutherford: And the Explosion of Atoms (Oxford, 2003) is for a slightly older audience. Pasachoff's book not only introduces students to nuclear physics and the life of Rutherford, but may also instill in them the joys and rewards of learning.–Carolina Geck, Kean University, Union, NJ
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