large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_114
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
It was, indeed, as massive as a helium atom (the second lightest known atom) and four times as massive as a hydrogen atom. IT WAS INDEED AS MASSIVE AS A HELIUM ATOM THE SECOND LIGHTEST KNOWN ATOM AND FOUR TIMES AS MASSIVE AS A HYDROGEN ATOM
rnest 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. 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. In 1900, indeed, Becquerel studied the beta particles and found them to be identical in mass and charge with electrons. They _were_ electrons. By 1906 Rutherford had worked out the nature of the alpha particles. They carried a positive electric charge that was twice as great as the electron’s negative charge. If an electron carried a charge that could be symbolized as -, then the charge of the alpha particle was ++. Furthermore, the alpha particle was much more massive than the electron. NE 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 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 IN NINETEEN HUNDRED INDEED BECARRAL STUDIED THE BATELES AND FOUND THEM TO BE IDENTICAL IN MASS AND CHARGE WITH ELECTRONS THEY WERE ELECTRONS BY NINETEEN O SIX RUTHERFORD HAD WORKED OUT THE NATURE OF THE ALPHA PARTICLES THEY CARRIED A POSITIVE CHARGE THAT WAS TWICE AS GREAT AS THE ELECTRON'S NEGATIVE CHARGE IF AN ELECTRON CARRIED A CHARGE THAT COULD BE SYMBOLIZED AS A MINOR SIGN THEN THE CHARGE OF THE ALPHA PARTICLE WAS TWO PLUS SIGNS FURTHERMORE THE ALPHA PARTICLE WAS MUCH MORE MASSIVE THAN THE ELECTRON
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