Radioactivity: A History of a Mysterious Science

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Radioactivity: A History of a Mysterious Science Pub. Date: 8/25/2011 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

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Overview

This is the story of a new science. Beginning with an obscure discovery in 1896, radioactivity led researchers on a quest for understanding that ultimately confronted the intersection of knowledge and mystery.

Mysterious from the start, radioactivity attracted researchers who struggled to understand it. What caused certain atoms to give off invisible, penetrating rays? Where did the energy come from? These questions became increasingly pressing when researchers realized the process seemed to continue indefinitely, producing huge quantities of energy. Investigators found cases where radioactivity did change, forcing them to the startling conclusion that radioactive bodies were transmuting into other substances. Chemical elements were not immutable after all. Radioactivity produced traces of matter so minuscule and evanescent that researchers had to devise new techniques and instruments to investigate them.

Scientists in many countries, but especially in laboratories in Paris, Manchester, and Vienna unraveled the details of radioactive transformations. They created a new science with specialized techniques, instruments, journals, and international conferences. Women entered the field in unprecedented numbers. Experiments led to revolutionary ideas about the atom and speculations about atomic energy. The excitement spilled over to the public, who expected marvels and miracles from radium, a scarce element discovered solely by its radioactivity. The new phenomenon enkindled the imagination and awakened ancient themes of literature and myth.

Entrepreneurs created new industries, and physicians devised novel treatments for cancer. Radioactivity gave archaeologists methods for dating artifacts and meteorologists a new explanation for the air's conductivity. Their explorations revealed a mysterious radiation from space. Radioactivity profoundly changed science, politics, and culture. The field produced numerous Nobel Prize winners, yet radioactivity's talented researchers could not solve the mysteries underlying the new phenomenon. That was left to a new generation and a new way of thinking about reality.

Radioactivity presents this fascinating history in a way that is both accessible and appealing to the general reader. Not merely a historical account, the book examines philosophical issues connected with radioactivity, and relates its topics to broader issues regarding the nature of science.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Japan's recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster brought worldwide attention to the topic of radiation. Science and mathematics educator Malley presents a timely tale about the discovery of radioactivity, the development of our knowledge of the physical universe, and the way radioactivity has changed our world. Whether or not you attended any chemistry or physics courses in your lifetime (or remember what you learned in them), Malley manages to make the periodic table and the giants involved in its creation interesting. She touches on applications of radioactive substances in such fields as geology, medicine, archaeology, and engineering, but the applications are not the focus of the book. Those seeking knowledge about what we do with what we have learned about radiation should look elsewhere; this book is all about the science and its historical characters. VERDICT Malley does a wonderful job of demonstrating how scientific discovery functions, as opposed to the usual approach in which facts and figures are given as tidbits along a chronology. Strongly recommended for history of science collections, high school science students, and anyone curious about radioactivity and the history of science.—James A. Buczynski, Seneca Coll. of Applied Arts & Technology, Toronto

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780199766413
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date: 8/25/2011
Pages: 280
Sales rank: 307,841
Product dimensions: 5.80 (w) x 8.30 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Marjorie C. Malley was involved with science and mathematics education for many years, including teaching, curriculum development, and consulting. Her publications include articles on radioactivity, luminescence, the nature and history of science, and biographical subjects. Dr. Malley was a member of the review panel for the National History Standards and is a past chair of the Education Committee of the History of Science Society.

Preface List of Illustrations Introduction

I. A NEW SCIENCE

Chapter 1. The Beginnings The Setting Rays and Radiation Becquerel's Discovery

Chapter 2. The Curies Maria Sk_odowska A Consequential Meeting New Elements!

Chapter 3. Rutherford, Soddy, Particles, and Alchemy?
Rutherford and the Rays Where did the Energy come from?
Material Rays? Discovery of the Beta Particle Thorium's Rays Vanishing Radioactivity Transmutation!
A Missed Discovery Reactions Atomic Energy?
Tragedy More Rays The Alpha Particle

Chapter 4. The Radioactive Earth The Prospectors How Old is the Earth?
A New Property of Matter?

Chapter 5. Speculations Early Theories Radioactivity and Probability Kinetic Models of the Atom

Chapter 6. Radioactivity and Chemistry The Rise of Radiochemistry Radioactive Genealogy Chemistry of the Imponderable Inseparable Radioelements Isotopes Displacement Laws The End of the Lines More Isotopes

Chapter 7. Inside the Atom Building Blocks Bombarding Atoms The Nucleus and the Periodic Table The Gamma Rays Theories of the Nucleus

Chapter 8. Sequel War!
Radioactivity during World War I From Radioactivity to Nuclear and Particle Physics

II. MEASURING AND USING RADIOACTIVITY

Chapter 9. Methods and Instruments Crucial Choices Standardizing the Measures Innovations Size, Money, and Machines

Chapter 10. Radioactivity, Medicine, and Life Unpleasant Surprises From Burns to Therapy Rays and other Organisms Miracle Cure?
Radioactive Spas Dangers in the Laboratory

Chapter 11. New Industries Early Industry Soaring Demand and New Institutions Paint that Glowed in the Dark A New Poison Fission, Bombs, and the Uranium Rush Radioactivity and the Oil Industry

III. BEYOND THE STORY

Chapter 12. Radioactivity's Prime Movers Technology, Resources, and Professional Changes Individuals Research Groups Scientific Ideals and Culture Mentors and Models Age, Attitudes, and Ambition Nationalism

Chapter 13. Radioactivity and Timeless Questions: the Quest for Understanding Models and Theories for Radioactivity Patterns in Radioactivity's Development Ideas about Change Ideas about Matter and Energy Ideas about Continuity and Discontinuity Eternal Conundrums

Chapter 14. The Imaginative Appeal of a Discovery Mythological and Romantic Dimensions of Radioactivity An Ongoing Task

Appendices

1. Glossary of Rays and Radiations
2. Family Trees for Radioactive Elements
3. Radioactivity's Elusive Cause
4. Nobel Prize Winners Included in this Book
5. Radioactivity's Web of Influence
6. Timeline

Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Anonymous

Posted January 10, 2012

Pretty dry

If I had not read "The Making of The Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes I would not have been able to understand much here. But most frustrating was seeing obvious opportunities for little side trips into areas of interest passed up. I prefer a more scientific history, this to me is more of a historical history, and a dry one. I missed having the author try to make me feel as if I were part of the discovery process. Not every author can be Rhodes or McPhee, but for me they set the standard.

The bomb that was tested in the Trinity test was a Plutonium bomb, not a Uranium bomb as is stated.
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