large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_113
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
It remained incredibly slow. But despite all this, radioactivity had at last been discovered and the intensity of its energies was recognized and pointed out in 1902 by Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie (1859 1906). Where, then, did the energy come from? Could it come from the outside? IT REMAINED INCREDIBLY SLOW BUT DESPITE ALL THIS RADIO ACTIVITY HAD AT LAST BEEN DISCOVERED AND THE INTENSITY OF ITS ENERGIES WAS RECOGNIZED AND POINTED OUT IN NINETEEN O TWO BY MARIE CURIE AND HER HUSBAND PIERRE CURRIE EIGHTEEN FIFTY NINETEEN O SIX WHERE THEN DID THE ENERGY COME FROM COULD IT COME FROM THE OUTSIDE
ioxide. The uranium atom would give off 2,000,000 times as much energy in breaking down, as the carbon atom would in combining. The energy of radioactivity is millions of times as intense as the energy released by chemical reactions. The reason mankind had remained unaware of radioactivity and very aware of chemical reactions was, first, that the most common radioactive processes are so slow that their great energies were stretched over such enormous blocks of time as to be insignificant on a per second basis. Secondly, chemical reactions are easily controlled by changing quantities, concentrations, temperatures, pressures, states of mixtures, and so on, and this makes them easy to take note of and to study. The rate of radioactive changes, however, could not apparently be altered. The early investigators quickly found that the breakdown of uranium-238, for instance, could not be hastened by heat, pressure, changes in chemical combination, or, indeed, anything else they could think of.  CARBON DIOXIDE THE URANIUM ATOM WOULD GIVE OFF TWO MILLION TIMES AS MUCH ENERGY IN BREAKING DOWN AS THE CARBON ATOM WOULD IN COMBINING THE ENERGY OF RADIO ACTIVITY IS MILLIONS OF TIMES AS INTENSE AS THE ENERGY RELEASED BY CHEMICAL REACTIONS THE REASON MANKIND HAD REMAINED UNAWARE OF RADIO ACTIVITY AND VERY AWARE OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS WAS FIRST THAT THE MOST COMMON RADIOACTIVE PROCESSES ARE SO SLOW THAT THEIR GREAT ENERGIES WERE STRETCHED OVER SUCH ENORMOUS BLOCKS OF TIME AS TO BE INSIGNIFICANT ON A PER SECOND BASIS SECONDLY CHEMICAL REACTIONS ARE EASILY CONTROLLED BY CHANGING QUANTITIES CONCENTRATIONS TEMPERATURES PRESSURES STATES OF MIXTURE AND SO ON AND THIS MAKES THEM EASY TO TAKE NOTE OF AND TO STUDY THE RATE OF RADIOACTIVE CHANGES HOWEVER COULD NOT APPARENTLY BE ALTERED THE EARLY INVESTIGATORS QUICKLY FOUND THAT THE BREAK DOWN OF URANIUM TWO THIRTY EIGHT FOR INSTANCE COULD NOT BE HASTENED BY HEAT PRESSURE CHANGES IN CHEMICAL COMBINATION OR INDEED ANYTHING ELSE THEY COULD THINK OF
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