Great Scientists

Insert Name

Who was it?

• Born in South Dakota, 1901• Made vital contributions to atomic bomb• Invented cyclotron that accelerated

particles to high velocity without high voltage, used to make new elements

• Developed e/m ratio of electron• Liked “Lawry’s” seasoned salt

Ernest Lawrence

• 1901-1958• Invented cyclotron,

1929– Accelerated particles to

bombard with atoms• Made new elements• Made anti-matter to

study

• Won Nobel prize in physics, 1939

Who was it?

• Born in Copenhagen in 1885

• Researched structure of the atom

• First to postulate that electrons travel around nucleus of atom

• Predicted splitting of uranium atoms

• Gave lectures, never “boring”

Niels Bohr

• 1885-1962• Known for the Bohr

model of the atom – Electrons travel

around nucleus in restricted orbits

• Won Nobel prize in physics in 1922

Who was it?

• Born in Württemberg, Germany, 1879

• Postulated light travels in individual photons, 1905

• Wrote special theory of relativity 1905

• Wrote general theory of relativity 1916

• E = mc2

Albert Einstein

• 1879-1955• Postulated photons

travel in discreet energy packets (individual photons)

• Theories of special and general relativity

• Nobel prize in physics, 1921

Who was it?

• Born 1852 in Paris

• Discovered natural radiation in uranium in 1896

• Unit of radiation named after

• 1 disintigration/second = 1 Bq

• “Oh Henry!”

Henri Becquerel

• 1852-1908• Known for his

discovery of natural radiation in uranium

• Shared Nobel Prize with the Curies in 1903

Who was it?

• Born in Rome, 1901• Contributed to early theory of beta decay and

neutrino• Demonstrated nuclear transformation with

neutrons in elements• Led experiment that performed first controlled

nuclear reaction• Very “fair to me”

Enrico Fermi

• 1901-1954• Discovered neutrino

and neutron activation

• Work led to fission and controlled nuclear reaction

• Nobel prize physics, 1938

Who was it?

• Born in Nelson, New Zealand, 1871• Discovered alpha and beta particles in

1898• Devised method of counting alpha

particles with H Geiger• Investigations of alpha scattering in

1910 led to the discovery of the nucleus• Knighted in 1914

Sir Ernest Rutherford

• 1871-1937• Discovered alpha

and beta particles• Discovered nucleus

in 1910• Won Nobel prize in

chemistry, 1908

Who was it?

• Born Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany, 1879• Discovered radiothorium, radioactinum, and

mesothorium• Developed methods of separating radioactive

particles• Discovered fission by bombarding uranium

and thorium with neutrons, 1938 with Strassman

• Lets all give him a “hand”

Otto Hahn

• 1879-1968• Discovered the process

of fission by bombarding uranium with neutrons (including the chain reaction)

• Won Nobel prize in chemistry in 1944

Who was it?

• Born in Warsaw, 1867• Discovered radium and polonium and

developed means to separate it• Refused to patent work for money• Developed unit of radioactivity

– 1 Ci = 37,000,000,000 disintigrations/sec

• There was no “cure” for her radiation

Marie Curie

• 1867-1934• Known for her

discovering and separating radium and polonium

• Shared Nobel prize in physics, 1903 and full prize in chemistry, 1911 – (First to receive two

prizes)

Who was it?

• Born in 1978• Isolated protactinium with Otto Hahn in

1917 • Worked with Hahn on behavior of beta

rays• Helped discover fission with Hahn and

Strassman• “Meitnerium” named after her (elm 109)

Lise Meitner

• 1878-1968• Spent much of

career working with Otto Hahn– Helped discover

fission with Hahn and Strassman

– Discovered elements with Hahn

Who was it?

• Born in Lennep, Germany, 1845• Worked on thermal conductivity of

crystals• Discovered X-rays• Unit of radiation named after him for

dose (R)• He had the “will” to do it

William Röentgen

• 1845-1923• Discovered x-rays in

a cathode tube experiment

• Won Nobel prize in physics in 1901