Picked C up from basketball practice tonight and we were talking about his homework on the drive home. He mentioned that he needed to do a little research about Ernest Rutherford for chemistry. I asked if Rutherford studied the atomic structure. I was so pleased with myself when C said that Rutherford did, in fact, study the atom (among other things).

Fast forward a few hours…
He is sitting down across the kitchen table from me to do his homework. I ask to see his notes about on the Rutherford research. On his meager list of references were the words “backscattering spectrometry.”

Geeky mom, I ask “Is that using light to measure particles in solution?”

C replies, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“We use that at work to measure emulsions. Let me show you some graphs.” I open a scientific poster showing graphs comparing particle sizes and tell him that a co-worker who’s known him since he was an infant works with that equipment.

He glances at it…and goes to watch “Pawn Stars.”

At least he stifled his yawn.