| RefNo | MS/603/9/193 |
| Previous numbers | 1743 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from E [Ernest] Rutherford, McGill University, Montreal, to [Joseph] Larmor |
| Creator | Rutherford; Ernest; Baron Rutherford of Nelson (1871-1937); New Zealand physicist |
| Recipient | Larmor; Sir Joseph (1857-1942); Irish theoretical physicist |
| Date | 15 October 1906 |
| Description | He apologises for being slow in correspondence. He has been reading the correspondence on radium in 'The Times' and was startled to see Lord Kelvin using him as support. He has written to 'Nature' to straighten the point. He refers to [Frederick] Soddy's unchanged alpha particle, which he is disinclined to believe until he verifies it himself, noting a Philosophical Magazine paper which may already be out. Larmor's remarks on velocity and the alpha particle gives the point of view which Rutherford had held to explain the effect. He has not published on this in order to get further into the question. He discusses his views at length. Rutherford is sending out a paper in a few days on the relations between the products and the velocity of alpha particles they emit. 'Anyone who is keen on building up atoms out of bricks has a good deal of evidence to go on now that the data are determined with accuracy for radioactive transformations'. He thinks they may ultimately have to put the alpha particle in the electron instead of vice versa. He concludes by noting J.J. [Thomson] on electrons. In a postscript he states: 'I am sending some papers to Roy Soc directly but damn the Referees'. |
| Extent | 4p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8278 | Rutherford; Ernest (1871 - 1937); Baron Rutherford of Nelson | 1871 - 1937 |