--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was almost as incredible as if you…" description: "\"It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.\" — Ernest Rutherford" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/ernest-rutherford-13268_ifs_it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fi_2042891.png" --- # It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch… ![“It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.” quote by Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/ernest-rutherford-13268_ifs_it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fi_2042891.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/ernest-rutherford-13268_ifs_it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fi_2042891.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/ernest-rutherford-13268_ifs_it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fi_2042891.png) > “It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.” [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid analogy showing how a tiny target can cause a massive reaction when struck forcefully. **In simple terms:** Small things can cause big impacts. Key Takeaway Respect the power of seemingly minor forces. Themes physics impact analogy Mood thoughtful analytical Type scientific inspirational When to use this quote - scientific experiments - risk assessment - engineering design Key Concepts energy transfer particle physics Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess the significance of small variables? - When might a minor detail change outcomes? A Different Perspective Neglecting scale can lead to miscalculations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Came Hit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-hit-869914/) [Fired 15](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fired-15-869915/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inch Shell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inch-shell-3811791/) [Inches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inches/) [Incredible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredible/) [Incredible Fired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredible-fired-869913/) [Incredibles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibles/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Nuclear physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-physics/) [Nucleus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nucleus/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Shells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shells/) [Tissue paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tissue-paper/) [Tissues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tissues/) ## Related quotes > [It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back to hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fired-a-15-inch-shell-at-a/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“It was quite the most incredible event that has ever happened to me in my life. 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The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [From the results so far obtained it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the long-range atoms arising from collision of alpha particles with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/from-the-results-so-far-obtained-it-is-difficult-to-avoid-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“When we consider the magnitude and extent of his discoveries and their influence on the progress of science and of industry, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/when-we-consider-the-magnitude-and-extent-of-his-discoveries-and/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [An alleged scientific discovery has no merit unless it can be explained to a barmaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/an-alleged-scientific-discovery-has-no-merit-unless-it-can-be/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [A good scientific theory should be explicable to a barmaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/a-good-scientific-theory-should-be-explicable-to-a-barmaid/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Gentlemen, now you will see that now you see nothing. And why you see nothing you will see presently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/gentlemen-now-you-will-see-that-now-you-see-nothing-and-why-you-see/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [ The great object is to find the theory of the matter \[of X-rays\] before anyone else, for nearly every professor in Europe is now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-great-object-is-to-find-the-theory-of-the-matter-of-x-rays-before/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [It is essential for men of science to take an interest in the administration of their own affairs or else the professional civil servant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-is-essential-for-men-of-science-to-take-an-interest-in-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [All science is either physics or stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/all-science-is-either-physics-or-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/you-should-never-bet-against-anything-in-science-at-odds-of-more-than/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“We haven't got the money, so we'll have to think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/we-haven-t-got-the-money-so-we-ll-have-to-think/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Radioactivity is shown to be accompanied by chemical changes in which new types of matter are being continually produced. … The conclusion is drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/radioactivity-is-shown-to-be-accompanied-by-chemical-changes-in-which/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. 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