rutherford
n. countablen. a unit used to measure how fast a radioactive substance breaks down. It was named after Ernest Rutherford, a famous scientist who studied atoms.
n. a unit of radioactivity equal to one million disintegrations per second. Named after physicist Ernest Rutherford; largely superseded by the becquerel in modern scientific contexts.
The sample showed a strength of one rutherford.
Early nuclear researchers used the rutherford to quantify the decay rate of radium samples in their laboratories.
Although the rutherford provided a convenient decimal-based scale for measuring high-intensity radiation, it was eventually replaced by the SI unit, the becquerel, to maintain international standardisation.
Usually written in lowercase when referring to the unit, but capitalised when referring to the person.