Chadwick, James (Energy)
From The Encyclopedia of Earth
Chadwick, James
August 3, 2007, 4:00 pm
James Chadwick (1891-1974), an English physicist, discovered the neutron in 1932 and subsequently published a paper titled Possible Existence of Neutron. In 1935, he received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the neutron. Werner Heisenberg soon showed that the neutron was a unique particle—the third piece of the atom to be found. This new idea dramatically changed the picture of the atom and accelerated discoveries in atomic physics. Physicists discovered that the neutron made an ideal "bullet" for bombarding other nuclei. Before long, neutron bombardment was applied to the uranium atom, splitting its nucleus and releasing the huge amounts of energy predicted by Einstein's equation E = mc2.
Further Reading
- Michigan State University, Office of Radiation, Chemical & Biological Safety. James Chadwick - Biography.
- Nobel Foundation. James Chadwick - Biography.
- PBS. Chadwick discovers the neutron, 1932.
