The Fly in the Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Fly in the Cathedral is a 2004 book by Brian Cathcart, telling the story of how physicists around the world, but particularly in the University of Cambridge
's Cavendish Laboratory
, split the atom
in the 1930s.
The title refers to the size of the atomic nucleus
in relation to the size of the whole atom. Although this analogy was made in the very early 20th century, many years before accurate figures were known, it turns out to be an appropriate illustration of the size difference, to within a couple of orders of magnitude.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
's Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
, split the atom
Nuclear fission
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts , often producing free neutrons and photons , and releasing a tremendous amount of energy...
in the 1930s.
The title refers to the size of the atomic nucleus
Atomic nucleus
The nucleus is the very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. It was discovered in 1911, as a result of Ernest Rutherford's interpretation of the famous 1909 Rutherford experiment performed by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Rutherford. The...
in relation to the size of the whole atom. Although this analogy was made in the very early 20th century, many years before accurate figures were known, it turns out to be an appropriate illustration of the size difference, to within a couple of orders of magnitude.