large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_181
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
The alpha rays and beta rays, which carried electric charges, seemed to be streams of charged particles ("alpha particles" and "beta particles") just as the cathode rays had turned out to be. THE ALPHA RAYS AND BATEER RAYS WHICH CARRIED ELECTRIC CHARGES SEEMED TO BE STREAMS OF CHARGED PARTICLES ALPHA PARTICLES AND BATELES JUST AS THE CATHODE RAYS HAD TURNED OUT TO BE
) 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. One carried a positive charge of electricity, one a negative charge, and one no charge at all. The New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) called the first two kinds of radiation “alpha rays” and “beta rays”, after the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. The third was soon called “gamma rays” after the third letter. [Illustration: _Ernest Rutherford_] [Illustration: _Marie Curie and her two daughters, Eve (left) and Irene, in 1908._] [Illustration: _Pierre Curie during a class lecture in 1906, the year of his death._] The gamma rays eventually turned out to be another light-like form of radiation, with waves even shorter than those of X rays. 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 ONE CARRIED A POSITIVE CHARGE OF ELECTRICITY ONE A NEGATIVE CHARGE AND ONE NO CHARGE AT ALL THE NEW ZEALAND BORN PHYSICIST ERNEST RUTHERFORD EIGHTEEN SEVENTY ONE NINETEEN THIRTY SEVEN CALLED THE FIRST TWO KINDS OF RADIATION ALPHARAS AND BATAYS AFTER THE FIRST TWO LETTERS OF THE GREEK ALPHABET THE THIRD WAS SOON CALLED GAMAREZ AFTER THE THIRD LETTER THE GAMARES EVENTUALLY TURNED OUT TO BE ANOTHER LIGHT LIKE FORM OF RADIATION WITH WAVES EVEN SHORTER THAN THOSE OF X RAYS
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