Jak odkrycie promieniotwórczości otworzyło bramy do poznania fizycznego mikroświata

• Autorzy: Werle J.

Warianty tytułu

EN

How the discovery of radioactivity opened the gates to the cognition of the physical microworld

• Języki publikacji: PL

Abstrakty

EN

The first part of this essay recapitulates the principles of the modern scientific method as they emerged in physics in 17th century and the succesive development of the macroscopic research in the main physical sciences (i.e. physics, astronomy, chemistry) till the end of 19th century. It also includes the dramatic story of the atomistic hypothesis in 19th century, its limited results as well as raising criticism. In the second part it is shown how the discovery of radioactivity made a great breaktrough in all the natural sciences by opening the possibilities of detailed experimental research of the physical microworld, i.e. of atoms, molecules, nuclei, elementary and subelementary particles. In fact the energetic alpha particles emitted by radium provided the first efficient tool for the experimental investigation of atoms and nuclei. Only much later the radioactive elements have been superseded by the much more elastic accelerators of various highly energetic microparticles, but the general idea of investigation remained the same. The cognition of the microworld not only tremendously enlarged our understanding of the material world and changed the philosophy of the natural sciences. It also implied vast possibilities of technical applications which changed deeply our whole civilisation. The great role of Maria Skłodowska-Curie and her family in this breakthrough is stressed.

Słowa kluczowe

PL

historia fizyki

• Wydawca: Polskie Towarzystwo Fizyczne
• Czasopismo: Postępy Fizyki
• Rocznik: 1998
• Tom: T. 49, z. 2
• Strony: 74--89

Twórcy

autor

Werle J.

• Instytut Fizyki Teoretycznej, Uniwersytet Warszawski