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    What Is Radioactivity? The Basics
    What Is Radioactivity? The Basics
    What Is Radioactivity? The Basics
    Ebook137 pages48 minutes

    What Is Radioactivity? The Basics

    By Rhythm Prism

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    About this ebook

    In January of 2016, North Korea announced it had tested a hydrogen bomb. Whether or not this technology is part of the North Korean arsenal, the hydrogen bomb is part of our world. What Is Radioactivity? The Basics explains, in simple terms, the principles of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, the implications of nuclear energy and the history of atomic science. This book is a remarkably easy read for the non-scientist.

    Radioactivity. Most people have used the word, but many do not understand what it means. This book explains the principles of radioactivity. The difference between artificial and natural radioactivity is described. It is in this difference that the power to make nuclear weapons and produce nuclear energy exists.
    What is Radioactivity? The Basics traces the history of radioactivity. It begins with the scientists who investigated the mysteries of the atom, for it is in an understanding of the atom that the story of radioactivity begins. Follow the paths of early scientists. Read about their wonder as they learned secrets of the universe.
    Pictures and clear diagrams in the book help to tell the story of radioactivity. The mushroom cloud over Nagasaki is captured in a photo. Einstein, Fermi, the Curies--and so many other pioneers in atomic science--are included in photos and in the narrative.
    If you've ever wondered about radioactivity and pondered the merits of arguments that surround the phenomenon, read this book. It will serve as an introduction to one of the most relevant, and important, discussions of our time.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRhythm Prism
    Release dateMay 21, 2015
    ISBN9781311434753
    What Is Radioactivity? The Basics
    Author

    Rhythm Prism

    Rhythm Prism's catalogue is constantly growing. The most recent additions are geared toward a general readership. These newer books do not eclipse our earlier issues. These encompass adult/youth writing development and education for school-age youth.All of Rhythm Prism's books are guided by a few basic principles: learning is a lifelong process; complex material can be explained in simple terms; pictures always enhance text; responsible research is essential to every work of nonfiction. There's a final, over-arching principle: don't bore the reader.A wide range of subjects is covered. This ambitious scope is a reflection of our writer's perspective. A. G. Moore has been a teacher, a student, a researcher and an author. Each of these skills is evident in the books she produces.Please take a look at our books for adults and youth. Check back regularly because we are always developing new material.

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      Book preview

      What Is Radioactivity? The Basics - Rhythm Prism

      Chapter 1

      Mysterious Rays

      This symbol is universally recognized as a warning that ionizing radiation may be present. Today, it might be seen attached to buildings that were once designated as fallout shelters. In the 1950s and 60s these shelters were common.

      Places such as basements and garages built with reinforced concrete were believed to offer some protection against immediate impact of an atomic bomb blast, if the explosion occurred far enough away. The shelters also were believed to offer protection against radioactive fallout that would follow an atomic bomb detonation.

      In large cities, residents could look for these symbols to find a government-designated shelter. The shelters were sometimes stocked with food and water so that people could stay for the few critical days after an atomic bomb had been dropped on or near their city.

      On December 22, 1895 William Conrad Roentgen called his wife, Anna Bertha, into the laboratory. He asked her to hold her hand out. He wanted to show her what would happen when he directed mysterious rays at her hand. In that moment, both Anna Bertha and William made history. The skeletal image of Anna Bertha's hand materialized under Roentgen's mysterious 'x-rays'.

      William Roentgen

      William Conrad Roentgen in his laboratory

      When William Roentgen received the Nobel Prize in 1901, there may have been some very amazed teachers in the Dutch city of Utrecht, for William had been expelled from school there years before. At the time, it seemed the expulsion would threaten young William's academic future, but the determined student studied on his own. He was not going to let the expulsion derail his plans.

      Eventually William was accepted at a technical institute in Zurich, Switzerland. It was here that he earned his PhD and began the laboratory work that would one day lead to the discovery of mysterious 'x-rays'.

      The First X-Ray Ever Taken of the Human Body

      Anna Bertha's hand, the first x-ray of the human body ever taken. Anna Bertha startled woman is reported to have been so impressed by the appearance of her hand that she exclaimed, I have seen my death.

      Scientists all over the world were excited by Roentgen's discovery. Some of the greatest minds in the world investigated the properties of Roentgen’s x-rays.

      In 1896, just months after Roentgen's discovery, Henri Becquerel began experimenting with uranium. He had been interested in phosphorescence. It was well known that certain substances, when exposed to sunlight, glowed. However, after a while the glow faded. Becquerel decided to investigate.

      At first he surmised that uranium's glow came from exposure to sunlight. To his surprise, this turned out not to be true. He was amazed to learn that uranium glowed on its own. He realized that the glow came from something inside the material. He guessed that these 'rays' were similar to Roentgen's x-rays.

      Becquerel understood correctly that the ability to produce rays was a property of the uranium itself and not from something that was affecting the uranium.

      Phosphorescent Salts

      Photo Demonstrations by Sparkla on Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain

      The three jars in the picture above demonstrate the glowing quality of phosphorescence. On the left the salts are shown in full daylight. In the center the salts are shown under UV light and on the right the salts are shown in total darkness.

      Becquere's Photographic Plate with the Image of a Coin Impressed on It

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