large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_128
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
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12904
5 billion years (!) for that rate to decrease to half what it was to begin with. OUR POINT FIVE BILLION YEARS FOR THAT RATE TO DECREASE TO HALF OF WHAT IT WAS TO BEGIN WITH
 rays. What’s more, alpha particles were being emitted at velocities of perhaps 30,000 kilometers per second, while the lighter beta particles were being shot off at velocities of up to 250,000 kilometers per second (about 0.8 times the velocity of light). At first, the total energy given off by radioactive substances seemed so small that there was no use worrying about it. The amount of energy liberated by a gram of uranium in 1 second of radioactivity was an insignificant fraction of the energy released by a burning candle. In a few years, however, something became apparent. A lump of uranium might give off very little energy in a second, but it kept on for second after second, day after day, month after month, and year after year with no perceptible decrease. The energy released by the uranium over a very long time grew to be enormous. It eventually turned out that while the rate at which uranium delivered energy did decline, it did so with such unbelievable slowness that it took 4. ARTICLES WERE BEING EMITTED AT VELOCITIES OF PERHAPS THIRTY THOUSAND KILOMETERS PER SECOND WHILE THE LIGHTER BATEER PARTICLES WERE BEING SHOT OFF AT VELOCITIES OF UP TO TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND KILOMETERS PER SECOND ABOUT ZERO POINT EIGHT TIMES THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT AT FIRST THE TOTAL ENERGY GIVEN OFF BY RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES SEEMED SO SMALL THAT THERE WAS NO USE WORRYING ABOUT IT THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY LIBERATED BY A GRAM OF URANIUM IN ONE SECOND OF RADIOACTIVITY WAS AN INSIGNIFICANT FRACTION OF THE ENERGY RELEASED BY A BURNING CANDLE IN A FEW YEARS HOWEVER SOMETHING BECAME APPARENT A LUMP OF URANIUM MIGHT GIVE OFF VERY LITTLE ENERGY IN A SECOND BUT IT KEPT ON FOR SECOND AFTER SECOND DAY AFTER DAY MONTH AFTER MONTH AND YEAR AFTER YEAR WITH NO PERCEPTIBLE DECREASE THE ENERGY RELEASED BY THE URANIUM OVER A VERY LONG TIME GREW TO BE ENORMOUS IT EVENTUALLY TURNED OUT THAT WHILE THE RATE AT WHICH URANIUM DELIVERED ENERGY DID DECLINE IT DID SO WITH SUCH UNBELIEVABLE SLOWNESS THAT IT TOOK F
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