Radioactivity - Alchemy of an Atom, Prof. Adriana Banu
January 28, 2012
This section addresses the 1896 discovery of invisible Uranium rays that dramatically changed physics and chemistry as well as the lives of future generations. We will learn about the early history of this remarkable episode in modern science through the works of radioactivity's pioneers like Antoine-Henry Becquerel (who first discovered it), Marie Sklodowska Curie (the most iconic of women scientists who coined the word "radioactivity" and discovered the radioactive isotopes of Polonium and Radium) or Ernest Rutherford (considered the "father" of nuclear physics who proved that radioactivity involved the transmutation of one chemical element to another). On the footsteps of these prominent scientific figures that pursued the ultimate goal of understanding radioactivity, we will ask, among other questions, the two most fundamental questions - What causes certain atoms to give off invisible, penetrating rays? Where does the atom's energy come from?
This section addresses the 1896 discovery of invisible Uranium rays that dramatically changed physics and chemistry as well as the lives of future generations. We will learn about the early history of this remarkable episode in modern science through the works of radioactivity's pioneers like Antoine-Henry Becquerel (who first discovered it), Marie Sklodowska Curie (the most iconic of women scientists who coined the word "radioactivity" and discovered the radioactive isotopes of Polonium and Radium) or Ernest Rutherford (considered the "father" of nuclear physics who proved that radioactivity involved the transmutation of one chemical element to another). On the footsteps of these prominent scientific figures that pursued the ultimate goal of understanding radioactivity, we will ask, among other questions, the two most fundamental questions - What causes certain atoms to give off invisible, penetrating rays? Where does the atom's energy come from?
Waynesboro High school student participating in a demonstration
Other Information:
1. PowerPoint Prof. Banu used during her lecture
2. The JMUtube podcast- The actual lecture
3. Pictures taken of the day by JMU
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