Sir Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) profoundly influenced modern physics by formulating the first explanation of radioactivity. Rutherford identified the three main components of radiation and named them alpha, beta, and gamma rays. He also showed that alpha particles are helium nuclei. His study of radiation led to his formulation of a theory of atomic structure, which was the first to describe the atom as a dense nucleus about which electrons circulate in orbits. In 1908, he received the Nobel Prize for chemistry for this work. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

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