It's interesting to collect the many versions of this quote from the web.
They read like a game of "telephone." My suspicion is that the following
is closest to what Rutherford may have said although no one seems to have
a source to cite:
"In science, there is only physics; all the rest is stamp
collecting."
Some other reasonably compatible versions:
"In science there is physics, everything else is stamp
collecting."
"In science there is only physics, all the rest is just stamp
collecting."
"In science, physics is the only thing; the rest is just stamp
collecting."
One that strays a bit from the Baron's stricter intent:
"All good science is physics, the rest is just stamp
collecting."
Several that kind of miss the point:
"All science is either physics or stamp collecting."
"Science is either physics, or stamp collecting."
"There are only two kinds of science: physics and stamp
collecting."
And one from a theoretician, no doubt:
"There are two sorts of science: mathematical physics and stamp
collecting."
John
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A. John Mallinckrodt http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm
Professor of Physics mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
Physics Department voice:909-869-4054
Cal Poly Pomona fax:909-869-5090
Pomona, CA 91768-4031 office:Building 8, Room 223