large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_21
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
One carried a positive charge of electricity, one a negative charge, and one no charge at all. ONE CARRIED A POSITIVE CHARGE OF ELECTRICITY ONE A NEGATIVE CHARGE AND ONE NO CHARGE AT ALL
n endless source of radiation, it gained interest that has risen ever since. Madame Curie gave the name “radioactivity” to this phenomenon of continuously giving off rays. Uranium was the first element found to be radioactive. It did not remain alone, however. It was soon shown that thorium was also radioactive. Thorium, which had been discovered in 1829 by Berzelius, was made up of atoms that were the second most massive known at the time. Thorium’s atomic weight is 232. But what was the mysterious radiation emitted by uranium and thorium? Almost at once it was learned that whatever the radiation was, it was not uniform in properties. In 1899 Becquerel (and others) showed that, in the presence of a magnet, some of the radiation swerved in a particular direction. Later it was found that a portion of it swerved in the opposite direction. Still another part didn’t swerve at all but moved on in a straight line. The conclusion was that uranium and thorium gave off three kinds of radiation.  RADIATION IT GAINED INTEREST THAT HAS RISEN EVER SINCE MADAME CURI GAVE THE NAME RADIOA ACTIVITY TO THIS PHENOMENON OF CONTINUOUSLY GIVING OFF RAYS URANIUM WAS THE FIRST ELEMENT FOUND TO BE RADIOACTIVE IT DID NOT REMAIN ALONE HOWEVER IT WAS SOON SHOWN THAT THORIUM WAS ALSO RADIOACTIVE THORIUM WHICH HAD BEEN DISCOVERED IN EIGHTEEN TWENTY NINE BY BRAZILIUS WAS MADE UP OF ATOMS THAT WERE THE SECOND MOST MASSIVE KNOWN AT THE TIME THORIUM'S ATOMIC WEIGHT IS TWO THIRTY TWO BUT WHAT WAS THE MYSTERIOUS RADIATION EMITTED BY URANIUM AND THORIUM ALMOST AT ONCE IT WAS LEARNED THAT WHATEVER THE RADIATION WAS IT WAS NOT UNIFORM IN PROPERTIES IN EIGHTEEN NINETY NINE BECAREL AND OTHERS SHOWED THAT IN THE PRESENCE OF A MAGNET SOME OF THE RADIATIONS SWERVED IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION LATER IT WAS FOUND THAT A PORTION OF IT SWERVED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION STILL ANOTHER PART DIDN'T SWERVE AT ALL BUT MOVED ON IN A STRAIGHT LINE THE CONCLUSION WAS THAT URANIUM AND THORIUM GAVE OFF THREE KINDS OF RADIATION
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