James Chadwick was a British physicist born in England. He studied under Ernest Rutherford and worked with him on experiments investigating the structure of atoms. Based on Rutherford's theories about neutral particles in the nucleus, Chadwick continued this work and proved the existence of the neutron through an experiment in 1932. This discovery of the neutron was fundamental to modern physics and earned Chadwick the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics. The neutron played an important role in later developments like nuclear fission and the Manhattan Project. Chadwick made many contributions throughout his career that improved scientific understanding.

1. James Chadwick
By Kelsey Boze

2. Biography
• Born in Cheshire, England
• Son of John Joseph Chadwick and Anne Mary Knowles
• Went to college for physics - Manchester University
• Graduated from Honours School of Physics in 1911
• Studied under Lord Rutherford
• Then worked in Berlin under Professor H. Geiger
• Has won numerous medals
• Was knighted Sir James in 1945

3. Studies
• Studies with Rutherford led to his discovery
• Rutherford first postulated that there were neutral particles in
the nucleus of an atom
• Chadwick became Rutherford’s associate
• He continued with Rutherford’s idea
• He studied another experiment
• This was the experiment he used to prove the existence of
neutrons

4. Experiment Used

5. The equation Chadwick used

6. Chadwick proves...
• James Chadwick proved the discovery of the neutron with that
experiment.
• Others thought the particles passing through the paraffin were
Gamma rays
• Chadwick proved they were something else
• He called them Rutherford’s neutrons
• neutron- elementary particles devoid of any electrical charge
• He also said that neutrons weighed the same as a proton
• This discovery is a basic particle we use in science today

7. This discovery led to...
• Chadwick’s discovery of the neutron prepared the way toward
the fission of uranium 235 and the creation of the atomic bomb.
• 1943-1946 James worked for the United States Government
• Manhattan Project
• Chadwick and Rutherford wrote a book
• James has written many papers filling in gaps for other scientists

8. Awards and Honors
James Chadwick won many awards such as...
-Hughes Medal of the Royal Society
-Copley Medal
-Franklin Medal
He was also appointed many positions...
Elected Fellow of Gonville and Caius College
Assistant Director of Research in Cavendish Labratory
Fellow of the Royal Society
Lyon Jones Chair of Physics in the University of Liverpool
Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics
And his most important award is...

9. THE NOBEL PRIZE
• James Chadwick won the Nobel Prize for
Physics in 1935
• His experiment proving the existence of
the neutron is what won him the award.

10. Overview
• Overall James Chadwick devoted his life to Physics.
• He won numerous awards and got a lot of recognition for his
work during his lifetime.
• His work still lives on today
• James Chadwick died July 24, 1974

11. Bibliography
• NobelPrize.org. The Nobel Foundation, 1935, from Nobel
Lectures. Elsevier Publishing Co. Amsterdam, 1965
• Physics Online Lab-Resource Lesson, 1997, H. Colwell,
Catherine