Abstract The following paper examines how both Einstein and Curie were two geniuses of the world of science who were declared outsiders because there were great odds against their success. This paper looks at the way in which they managed to overcome all obstacles and dissolve all barriers to turn their dreams into reality. The way in which their persistence and perseverance in early life also helped them later in their scientific work, is also discussed.
From the Paper "It has often been noticed that people who contribute much to a particular field are the ones who were either at some disadvantage in their early life or suffered from some obstacles that stopped them from entering the field. Yet these very people managed to overcome all odds to reach the place where they had dreamed of arriving and thus revolutionized the world in their own way. We see that extraordinary people all around us are the ones who were once considered even less than ordinary and were therefore barred from entering their chosen area of work. It was only after they managed to overcome the obstacles and through single-minded determination managed to bring revolution in their own sphere that the world was forced to take notice."
Abstract This paper provides a scholarly biography of Marie Curie and an assessment of her unique contributions to humanity, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
From the Paper "Albert Einstein said she was "the only person to be uncorrupted by fame" (Davis 1986:1). Marie Curie (n?e Maria Sklodowska) was born September 12, 1897, in Paris and died there on March 17, 1956 (Marie Curie 2004). While many people suggest that it takes 35 years to become an overnight success, Marie Curie was successful from the outset and while her personal life was marred by tragedy, her professional career has been widely recognized as being an early example of the contributions women in the scientific community could make given the opportunity. According to Lydia Davis, Curie "was a proud, passionate, and hard-working woman who played an important role in her time because she had the ambition and the means to do so, and who has played an important role in our own time too, since there is a direct relationship between Marie Curie-Sklodowska and atomic energy. It was also atomic energy that caused her death" (1986:2)."
Abstract The paper relates that Marie Curie was a Polish-born French scientist. She was a pioneer in many ways. Her work in radiology and chemistry opened the door for a whole new scientific revolution and what we know today as the atomic age. The paper discusses how with her husband Pierre, she discovered two new elements and coined the term radioactive. The paper reveals that she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only one to win it twice.
Abstract This paper is a biography of Marie Curie's life, as well as her work and impact in the fields of physics and chemistry. It also pays particular notice to radioactivity. The paper is based on the strong theme that ?nothing in life is to be feared, only understood,? a quote attributed to Marie Curie herself.
From the Paper "Marie's childhood was not a perfect one by any means. She was the fifth child in her family, and soon after she was born, both of her parents lost their jobs as teachers. Despite losing their jobs, Marie's parents still managed to instill into their daughter the value of education, and had taught her to read by age 4. Her parents also instilled in Marie a sense of duty. This, combined with the family's economic circumstances lead Marie to lead ?the most Spartan of lives.? ["Marie Curie", Minist?re des Affaires "trang"res de la R"publique Fran"aise, 1.] Marie's childhood continued to be harsh, as she had to deal with the deaths of both her mother, and one of her sisters by age 11. This only served to create a sense of ?agnosticism that would later bolster her faith in science,? ["Marie Curie", Minist?re des Affaires "trang"res de la R"publique Fran"aise, 1.] however. Despite the many setbacks that seemed to litter her childhood, Marie persevered. In spite of the long hours she spent helping cook meals for the boarders that her family had taken in, at age 15, Marie won a medal for excellence at her high school, where the examinations where administered in Russian. She dreamed of someday becoming a scientist?something that was not socially-acceptable for women to do in Poland in the 1880?s."
Abstract The paper shows that according to recent research, the earth's magnetic field has shown signs that it is ready to shift. If this occurs, the magnetic north will point south and the magnetic south will point north and have disasterous effects on Earth. The paper discusses how scientists measure the magnetic field by tracking its history from a gigantic crack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that oozes lava. As the lava solidifies into rock, it records the Earth's magnetic polarity at various times. According to these records, the Earth is overdue for another reversal. The paper shows that prior to a magnetic field reversal, the magnetic field typically grows weaker and weaker until it almost disappears. As a result, the poles flip and strong magnetism starts up again. The paper explains how magnetism levels in ancient pottery indicate that over the past 4,000 years, the magnetic field has weakened by about half. In this century alone, it has decreased by five percent. The paper explores theories put forth by scientists that the Earth's magnetic field could disappear in the next few hundred or thousand years.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Origin of the Earth's Magnetic Field
Paleomagnetism
Field Reversals
Theories of Magnetic Pole Reversals
Earth's Magnetic Field
The Main Field
Secondary Field
Remanent Magnetization
Electromagnetic Dynamo Effect
Magnetization of Rocks
Curie Point
Processes of Magnetization in Rocks
Magnetic Anomalies
Paleomagnetic Data
Morphology of Reversals
Field Direction and Field Intensity
Field Reversals
What Drives Reversals?
Core-Mantle Boundary Processes
Bibliography
From the Paper "Over the past three-and-a-half million years, the Earth's magnetic poles have shifted approximately nine times. This estimate has been found through sampling of the magnetic records formed by rocks in the ocean beds and in ancient lava formations.
Scientists do not know how or why the magnetic poles reverse for sure, nor do they know exactly what effect this will have on life, as we know it. Many believe that the magnetic poles of the Earth reverse an average of every 200,000 years, but the time between reversals has varied widely. The Sun reverses its magnetic poles fairly routinely: essentially every 11 years."
Abstract Radioactive dating is the process of determining the age of rocks and other specimens from the decay of their radioactive elements. By applying this information, geologists are able to decipher the 4.6-billion-year history of the earth. The paper introduces the history of this type of dating in chronological order. It discusses other issues related to radioactive dating such as Carbon-14 dating, fission track dating, Potassium Argon Dating, the Rubidium-Strontium method, lead-alpha age and debated ideas of radioactive dating.
From the Paper "Cosmic rays from the sun strike nitrogen 14 atoms in the earth's atmosphere and cause nitrogen atoms to lose a proton making it a carbon isotope this then turns into radioactive carbon 14, which combines with oxygen to form radioactive carbon dioxide. All living things are in equilibrium with the atmosphere, and the radioactive carbon dioxide is absorbed from the air and used by green plants. Then the radioactive carbon dioxide gets passed on through the plants into the food chain and the carbon cycle. All living things contain a constant ratio of Carbon 14 to Carbon 12 of about 1 in a trillion. The amount of carbon 14 lost in a species is continually replenished as long as it still takes in food and oxygen. At death, the exchange of carbon 14 ceases and any that is left in the tissues of the organism begins to decay to Nitrogen 14, this is not replenished by any new C-14. The change in the Carbon 14 to Carbon 12 ratio is the basis for dating this dating technique. The half-life is so short (5730 years) that this method can only be used on materials less than 70,000 years old. A lot of archaeological dating uses this method. It is also very useful in attempting to date remnants of the ice ages (Pleistocene epoch.)"
Tags: Marie, Pierre, Curie, Clair, Patterson, U, 235, atom
Abstract This paper provides an overview of the religious philosophies and teachings of Scholasticism and Humanism, followed by a discussion of the various permutations these have caused since their inception. It provides an analysis of how the scientific method emerged from this environment and a description of real-world applications of these principles in the classroom today. This is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion. Several graphics are also provided.
Outline
Introduction
Review and Discussion
The History of Discovery
A. Physics
B. Astronomy
C. Chemistry
The Rise of Scientific Experimentation and Famous Experiments
A. Galileo
B. Newton
Methodology
Conclusion
From the Paper "Religious Philosophies and Teachings. Scholasticism is the philosophic and theological movement that attempted to use natural human reason, in particular, the philosophy and science of Aristotle, to understand the supernatural content of Christian revelation. It was dominant in the medieval Christian schools and universities of Europe from about the middle of the 11th century to about the middle of the 15th century. The ultimate ideal of the movement was to integrate into an ordered system both the natural wisdom of Greece and Rome and the religious wisdom of Christianity."
Abstract This paper briefly discusses the way that radium was discovered and first used. It explains how the awareness of the dangers of exposure were non-existent at the time and how many of the original workers with the substance died from poisoning. The paper looks at the precautions taken these days and how the use of the substance has developed.
From the Paper "Radium, a pure metal, was discovered by the Polish chemist Marie Sklodowska Curie and her husband Peter, a French chemist, in 1898 from unrefined pitchblende, a material containing uranium (Gagnon 2004), or urarinite, in Joachimsthal, North Bohemia (Chemistry Operations 2003). Marie Curie observed that radium was more radioactive than uranium when they were separated. In 1911, she and Debiene isolated the pure metal through an amalgam of pure radium chloride, distilled in an atmosphere of hydrogen (Chemistry Operations). Seven tons of pitchblende yields 1 gram of radium. It belongs to the alkaline-earth family of metals that loses 1% of its activity only every 25 years. Lead is its final by-product in the long disintegration process (Chemical Operations). It is recommended that radium and minerals and materials containing radium should be exposed to the air to prevent radon from building up."
