Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Sea sjg
Saj
A
J
A [j[p
[[fep
Psfd
Je
J
Jf
[j ds[ [da[pe[p
Ws
Df
G
F
H
Df
Gf
F
Gs
Ds
E
S
G
S
Fs
H
D
F
G
D
F
G
Df
Fg
Hf
Bcv
B
D
F
B
Fd
V
Df
V
D
F
D
V
D
Dd
Fd
V
Df
Fv
Df
Vf
V
Dd
d
Df
D
gamount of radioactivity present in
various elements. Her reason for using this method was that an electroscope
is an extremely precise method for measuring radioactivity.
With such a precise instrument available, other experimenters were
quick to adopt it for their own use. The electroscope soon became
ubiquitous among early physicists.
One thing troubled the electroscope users. Technically, what an
electroscope measures is the conductivity of the air surrounding it.
The conductivity of the air is increased by the presence of radioactivity,
but also by other things like moisture in the air (recall Curies
Rs
D
H
F
Sh
Er
Re
Rs
E
R
Tge
F
g
and it came from the Earth. So, perhaps trace amounts of radioactive
elements were everywhere. Experiments were done to shield the
equipment from the Earths latent radioactivity. While shielding from
alpha and beta radiation and x-rays was straightforward, gamma radiation,
with its much more penetrating nature, was more difficult to
accomplish. It became clear that if one could not easily shield the electroscopes
from the Earths gamma rays, the next best thing to do
would be to move the equipment away from the source of the
radioactivity. Of course, the only way to do this was to go straight up.
t h e p a t h t o k n o w l e d g e 81
In 1910, a Jesuit priest named Theodor Wulf took an electroscope
to the top of the highest man-made structure at the time, the Eiffel
Tower. He was surprised to find that he measured more ambient radiation
at the top of the tower than at the bottom. He checked that the
tower itself was not radioactive and thus he was confused. The result
was not at all as expected. Perhaps there was a type of radiation from
the Earth that could penetrate the 300 meters of air separating Wulfs
electroscope from the ground? Of course, what was needed was
another experiment with even greater separation. Since the Eiffel
Tower was the tallest man-made structure, another approach was
called for.
In 1782, the Montgolfier brothers did something never before
accomplished. They made the first balloon flight. Here was a way to
lift an electroscope to a great altitude. Following Wulfs observation,
several scientists attempted to repeat his experiment in a balloon, but
the vagaries of the pressure and temperature variation with height
Abraham
Lincoln
Won the American Civil War
The American president
who fought a war to keep his
country united and was a key
player in abolishing slavery