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New Zealanders and Science
Centennial Surveys
Sidney Jenkinson
Department of Internal Affairs 1940
163c pages. Hard Cover.
1 black/white photo per person.
Purchasing Details.
Out of Print
My Comments on This Book.
This was one of at least 13 books published to mark the centennial of the establishment of New Zealand in 1940.
Other titles covered the Maori People (Apirana Ngata), The Women of New Zealand, The Farmer in New Zealand, etc.
Rutherford's chapter occupies pp 93-103. It covers his life well, being written just 3 years after his death
so is the third (brief) biography written about him. I am impressed by its accuracy, there are just a few
items that need correction or futher explanation.
Errors and Comments.
p95 To continue his researches in 1894 for an 1851 Scholarship, he had to be a registered student so enrolled for a BSc, his third degree.
p95 He used Hertzian waves as a way of studying fast current pulses on the magnetiziation of iron needles in his second year of research (1894).
p95 Maclaurin was awarded the nomination for the scholarship, but couldn't apply for it as he couldn't be away from his job for 2 years.
p95 After comtinuing the work from Canterbury, at Cambridge Rutherford established himself and was then invited to work with the HOD
on the nature of cathode rays.
p97 Good mention of Prout's anonymous publication of 1815. When asked for a name for what became the proton Rutherford suggested prouton or proton.
p100 Rutherford did his work on alpha scattering from nitrogen from before World War I but never published it till 1919,
just before he moved to Cambridge after the war.
Reviews
The Press 19/10/40 p9.
Evening Star 28/9/40 p4.
NEM 14/9/40 p4.
Southland Times 5/10/40 p9.
Auckland Star 12/10/40 p4.
plus about 8 other newspapers.
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