Henri becquerel biography summary of 10

In addition to his teaching and research posts, Becquerel was for many years an engineer in the Department of Bridges and Highways, being appointed chief engineer in Around the time that Becquerel had been appointed a teacher at the Ecole Polytechnique, he also became actively involved in the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and was engaged in helping his father, who was then head of physics at the museum.

Becquerel became the physics chair of the Museum in His discovery of spontaneous radioactivity is a famous example of serendipity, of how chance favors the prepared mind. Together, these were to place the discovery of radioactivity within his reach. The phenomenon was found to be common to all the uranium salts studied and it was concluded to be a property of the uranium atom.

Finally, Becquerel showed that the rays emitted by uranium caused gases to ionize and that they differed from X-rays in that they could be deflected by electric or magnetic fields. In this way, his spontaneous discovery of radioactivity occurred. During Becquerel published seven papers on radioactivity, as Marie Curie later named the phenomenon; in , only two papers; and in , none.

The far more popular X rays could take sharper shadow photographs and faster. Nowadays it is generally considered that Becquerel discovered radioactivity by serendipity. I hope that the experiments which I am pursuing at the moment will be able to bring some clarification to this new class of phenomena. Later in his life in , Becquerel measured the properties of beta particles , and he realized that they had the same measurements as high speed electrons leaving the nucleus.

Henri made this discovery when he left a piece of radium in his vest pocket and noticed that he had been burnt by it. This discovery led to the development of radiotherapy , which is now used to treat cancer. National Academy of Sciences.

Henri becquerel biography summary of 10

The SI unit for radioactivity, the becquerel Bq , is named after him. There is a crater named Becquerel on the Moon and also a crater named Becquerel on Mars. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikisource Wikidata item.

French physicist — Photograph of Becquerel by Paul Nadar. Paris , Second French Empire. Models of the nucleus. Liquid drop Nuclear shell model Interacting boson model Ab initio. Nuclides ' classification. Nuclear stability. Binding energy p—n ratio Drip line Island of stability Valley of stability Stable nuclide. Radioactive decay. Nuclear fission.

Spontaneous Products pair breaking Photofission. Capturing processes. High-energy processes. Spallation by cosmic ray Photodisintegration. Nucleosynthesis and nuclear astrophysics. High-energy nuclear physics. Alvarez Becquerel Bethe A. Bohr N. This unexpected finding was a result of serendipity, and it revolutionized the field of physics and led to the development of nuclear energy.

Becquerel's discovery of spontaneous radioactivity was a major breakthrough in the understanding of the atom and its structure. Henri Becquerel was a French physicist who made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of radioactivity. Initially, he believed that some uranium salts may emit an x-ray like radiation, but his experiments proved otherwise.

Through his experiments, he discovered that uranium salts emit a type of radiation that is distinct from x-rays, and this radiation was later named after him as "Becquerel Rays". This discovery was a major breakthrough in the field of radioactivity and laid the foundation for further research in the area. Henri Becquerel, a French physicist, was fascinated by phosphorescence, a phenomenon in which certain materials emit light after being exposed to radiation.

He conducted extensive research on the subject, and his findings helped to further the understanding of the nature of radiation. Becquerel's work on phosphorescence ultimately led to the discovery of radioactivity, which revolutionized the field of physics. In , Henri Becquerel was appointed as the chief engineer of the Department of Bridges and Highways, a position he held for many years.

During his tenure, he was responsible for overseeing the construction of numerous bridges and highways throughout the country, as well as ensuring the safety and quality of the structures. In , he was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society. In , he was awarded the Barnard Medal by the U. National Academy of Sciences.

During his lifetime, Becquerel was honored with membership into the Accademia dei Lincei and the Royal Academy of Berlin. Becquerel has been honored with being the namesake of many different scientific discoveries. There is a crater named Becquerel on the Moon and also a crater named Becquerel on Mars. The uranium-based mineral becquerelite was named after Henri.

Minor planet Becquerel is named in his honor.