Rutherford

Ernest Rutherford was a pioneering physicist known for discovering the atomic nucleus. Through experiments where he bombarded gold foil with alpha particles, he observed most particles passed through, but some deflected sharply. This led him to conclude that atoms have a tiny, dense, positively charged core—the nucleus—surrounded by electrons. Rutherford's work fundamentally changed our understanding of atomic structure, establishing the nucleus as the center of the atom and laying the groundwork for modern nuclear physics.