Transcript No Slide Title

Marie Curie and the
Discovery of Radium
By Audrey Hunt
2005
Young Life
Marie Curie was
born in 1867 in
Poland as Maria
Sklodowska.
Maria loved
school.
Pierre Curie
In 1895, Maria
married a French
scientist named
Pierre Curie. She
changed her
name to its
French version,
Marie.
Family
Marie Curie’s
daughter Irene
was born in
1897. Her
second daughter,
Eve, was born in
1904.
Family cont.
Marie’s
daughter Irene
won a Nobel
Prize,
making Marie the first Nobel
prizewinner whose daughter was
also a prizewinner.
X-Rays
X-Rays were
recently discovered.
Marie broke down
the x-rays and found
uranium. She
studied the uranium
and found a lot of it
in pitchblende.
Discovery
of Radium
Marie discovered
that radium was
giving off the
glow coming
from the
uranium.
Radium
Melting point:
1,292 degrees F
Boiling point:
2,084 degrees F
Radium
Alpha, beta, and
gamma rays are
produced in
decay of radium.
Radium
The alpha rays produced by
radium can’t penetrate the
skin, but beta
rays can.
Gamma rays can
penetrate the
whole body.
Radium
It used to be used
in luminous paints
and on watch
dials, but has
been replaced
with cobalt-60.
Where Radium is
Found in Nature
There are low levels
of radium in the air,
water, and food.
War Duty
In WWI, Marie convinced the
government to put x-ray
machines in
vans to help
soldiers.
Effects of Radium
Radium causes
types of cancer, but
the Curies didn’t
know radium was
dangerous.
Exposure to
Radium
The Curies were
exposed to radium
on a daily basis.
Their lab chair
and notebooks
are still
radioactive.
Nobel Prizes
In 1903, Marie shared a Nobel
Prize for Physics. In 1911, she
earned a
Nobel Prize
for
Chemistry.
Awards
Marie was the first
Polish person to
win a Nobel Prize
and the first
person to win two
Nobel Prizes.
Awards cont.
Throughout
her life, Marie
Curie
received 15
gold medals
and 19
degrees.
How Radium is Used
Radium is used
in making atomic
bombs. It can
also be used to
cure some types
of cancer.
Death
Marie died in
1934 from
leukemia. Her
death was
thought to be
caused by
radium.
Bibliography
1. “Radium” Wikipedia. 27 April 2005. 1
May 2005
<http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Radium
2. “Marie Curie.” Women in Physics
Herstory. 1999. Women in Physics. 27
April 2005.
<http://www.physics.purdue.edu/wip/
herstory/Curie.html>
Bibliography
3. Parker, Steve. Marie Curie and
Radium. Chelsea House Publishers. New
York. 1992.
4. Gagnon, Steve. “Radium.” Jefferson
Lab. May 2 2005.
<http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele
088.html>
About Me
My name is
Audrey Hunt. I
like field hockey,
volleyball, and
riding. These are
pictures of other
things I like.