.... a little o.t.
I was privileged to hear a lecture by E.T.S. Walton ... a few years ago... probably 1975 or 76.
This was essentially some interesting anecdotes and trivia concerning the distinguished scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England, during the first part of the 20th century. Their efforts were focused on discovering the structure of the atom, and the mechanism of nuclear fission. There were stories about J.J. Thompson ... a noted theorist, but apparently not much aptitude for practical experiments, C.T.R. Wilson ... a Scotsman who invented the cloud chamber, Ernest Rutherford, and Lord Rayleigh.
One interesting comment ... it was a common practice within the institute to save every scrap of metal that was not being used or was to be discarded, in order to melt down and use again.... Not much of a budget, apparently.
One of the main achievements of Walton and Cockroft was to invent a method of obtaining a sufficiently high voltage to accelerate subnuclear particles .... to achieve the breakup of several chemical elements.
for additional details ... see the second listing at this page:
Ernest Walton: Biography from Answers.com
Cockroft-Walton Multiplier .
I was privileged to hear a lecture by E.T.S. Walton ... a few years ago... probably 1975 or 76.
This was essentially some interesting anecdotes and trivia concerning the distinguished scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England, during the first part of the 20th century. Their efforts were focused on discovering the structure of the atom, and the mechanism of nuclear fission. There were stories about J.J. Thompson ... a noted theorist, but apparently not much aptitude for practical experiments, C.T.R. Wilson ... a Scotsman who invented the cloud chamber, Ernest Rutherford, and Lord Rayleigh.
One interesting comment ... it was a common practice within the institute to save every scrap of metal that was not being used or was to be discarded, in order to melt down and use again.... Not much of a budget, apparently.
One of the main achievements of Walton and Cockroft was to invent a method of obtaining a sufficiently high voltage to accelerate subnuclear particles .... to achieve the breakup of several chemical elements.
for additional details ... see the second listing at this page:
Ernest Walton: Biography from Answers.com