The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.
Ernest RutherfordRead
That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Science focuses on what can be quantified and studied rigorously, while non-empirical pursuits lack scientific merit.
Ernest Rutherford's quote emphasizes the importance of measurement and empirical evidence in the field of science. He argues that true scientific inquiry is grounded in the ability to measure and quantify phenomena, contrasting it with mere collection of data or observations, which he dismisses as akin to 'stamp collecting', a term that implies a lack of scientific depth or understanding.
Themes
ScienceMeasurementPhysicsEmpiricalEvidence
In practice
Example use cases
During a science fair, one could refer to this quote to explain the importance of measurable results in experiments.
More from Ernest Rutherford
All quotes βI am a great believer in the simplicity of things and as you probably know I am inclined to hang on to broad & simple ideas like grim death until evidence is too strong for my tenacity.
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All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
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Now I know what the atom looks like.
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If your result needs a statistician then you should design a better experiment.
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Should a young scientist working with me come to me after two years of such work and ask me what to do next, I would advise him to get out of science. After two years of work, if a man does not know what to do next, he will never make a real scientist.
Ernest RutherfordRead
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