From Marie Curie to x-rays to the Manhattan Project, Radioactivity traces the history of atomic physics and its transformation from a fringe science into a field that seized the popular and political imagination with discovery after spectacular discovery. Marjorie C. Malley shows that the discovery of radioactivity had profound consequences besides The Bomb: it allowed women more opportunities to become scientists; it helped doctors treat cancer and diagnose battlefield wounds more effectively; it prompted scientists to reconsider some of the most fundamental rules of physics.
An ideal learning tool for students and teachers of science. Full-colour diagrams, graphs, charts, and maps on every page illustrate the essential elements of the subject, while parallel text provides key definitions and step-by-step explanations. The contents include: Atomic Structures, Elements and Compounds, Radioactivity, The Chemistry of Carbon, Changes in Matter, Patterns in Non-metals, Patterns in Metals, Chemical Reactions.
