Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium.SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING: Marie Curie Curie (kürē`), family of French scientists. Pierre Curie, 1859–1906, scientist, and his wife, Marie Sklodowska Curie, 1867–1934, chemist and physicist, b. and Radium radium (rā`dēəm) [Lat. radius=ray], radioactive metallic chemical element; symbol Ra; at. no. 88; at. wt. 226.0254; m.p. 700°C;; b.p. 1,140°C;; sp. gr. about 6.0; valence +2. Radium is a lustrous white radioactive metal. CARLA CARLA Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition CARLA Computer Assisted Related Language Adaptation CARLA Computer Assisted Retrieval at Los Alamos KILLOUGH MCCLAFFERTY Through her remarkable achievements in the male-dominated field of the physical sciences, Marie Curie opened the door for a legion of other women. As a codiscoverer of radium, she was awarded a Nobel prize Nobel Prize, award given for outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, peace, or literature. The awards were established by the will of Alfred Nobel, who left a fund to provide annual prizes in the five areas listed above. in 1903, the first woman to receive the honor. In this easy-to-read biography, young readers are given a glimpse into Curie's life and work. She grew up poor in Russia-controlled Poland, where she developed a fierce sense of national pride and identity. Mcclafferty explains how Curie transformed herself from a teacher and governess into one of the most important scientists of her time. The author details Curie's education in France Primary and secondary education is predominantly public (private schools also exist, in particular a strong nationwide network of primary and secondary Catholic education), while Higher education has both public and private elements. and her marriage to Pierre Curie, who received the Nobel prize with her. The Curies began researching radioactive elements after Henri Becquerel discovered, by chance, radioactive uranium. Though their discovery of glowing radium, with all its commercial potential, could have made them rich, the Curies eschewed patents and made their methods available to anyone who might need them. For readers age 10-12. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2006, 144 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $18.00. |
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