Marie Curie. Pioneering Physicist

19 Pages·2008·7.322 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Cregan

Science
ReadeRS
Physical Science
Elizabeth R. C. Cregan
TCM 10570
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Physical Science Readers: Table of Contents
Marie Curie:
An Important Scientist ....................................................4
Pioneering Physicist
The Girl from Poland .......................................................7
Discovering Radium ......................................................12
Bringing Her Work to the World ....................................20
Publishing Credits
Editorial Director Creative Director
The Final Years ..............................................................24
Dona Herweck Rice Lee Aucoin
Associate Editor Illustration Manager
Joshua BishopRoby Timothy J. Bradley Physicist: Shirley Ann Jackson .......................................26
Editor-in-Chief Publisher
Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed. Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed.
Appendices ....................................................................28
Science Contributor Lab: Indirect Evidence .....................................28
Sally Ride Science
Science Consultant Glossary ...........................................................30
Jane Weir, MPhys
Index ................................................................31
Sally Ride Science .............................................32
Image Credits ...................................................32
Teacher Created Materials Publishing
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© 2007 Teacher Created Materials Publishing
2 3
An Important Scientist
Marie Curie is one of the most important scientists of all
time. She spent her life studying energy called radiation
(ray-dee-AY-shuhn). In fact, she invented the word radioactive
(ray-dee-oh-AK-tiv) to describe this energy. Her work helped
other scientists understand how atoms work. Curie also learned
many things that led to new ways to treat cancer. The Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize is an award that
Marie Curie was the first woman to win the world’s highest
started in 1901. It is given to
award for science, the Nobel Prize. Her work was so successful
men and women for their work in
that she won a second Nobel Prize. Her daughter Iréne grew up science, writing books, medicine,
to be a famous scientist, too. She also won this award. and helping to bring peace to the
world. The award includes a medal,
Curie was known as a hard worker and a brilliant scientist. a diploma, and money to continue
She would not stop working until she found answers to her the work.
questions. Her work with radiation was also dangerous. She
died from cancer of the blood. It was caused by working with
Radioactivity
radioactive materials.
Whenever something gives off
energy, it produces radiation. For
example, the sun radiates heat and
light. Marie Curie did not think
that radiation was the right word
to describe the energy coming from
the substances she studied. She
named this energy radioactivity.
Today, we know that radioactive
substances give off energy when the
nuclei of their atoms break down.
Curie in her lab
M arie Curie’s daughter, Iréne Joliot-Curie,
followed in her mother’s footsteps as a
research scientist. Joliot-Curie is shown here
with fellow scientist Albert Einstein.
4 5
The Girl from Poland
Free to Study Marie Curie was born Maria Sklodowska in Poland, on
November 7, 1867. Her father was a high school science teacher.
In many parts of Europe, girls Her mother was the principal of a private school for girls.
were not allowed to attend college. In
Curie was always a very good student. Her favorite subjects
the late 1800s, it was hard for anyone
were science and language arts. She graduated from high school
to study in Poland. This was because
at 15. She wanted to keep going to school. But at that time,
the Russian government ruled Poland
Polish girls were not allowed to go to college.
and wanted everyone to speak and
study only Russian subjects. As a Curie and her older sister, Bronia, started studying at a secret
Polish woman, Curie had to leave school. Then, they made plans to travel to Paris, France. Girls
home to continue her education. were allowed to go to college in Paris. Bronia left first. She
France was one place where she could studied to become a doctor. Curie stayed in Poland. She worked
enjoy this freedom. as a teacher and sent money to Bronia. Finally, it was her turn.
In 1891, she took the train to Paris and joined Bronia.
Poland
France
Here is Curie with
her father and
sisters. Her
mother died
when she
was just nine
years old.
6 7
Studying in Paris
Hungry?
Curie studied at the University of Paris. This university
Did you know that it took a
is also called the Sorbonne (sawr-BON). She lived alone in a
chemist to make the cereal floating
small, drafty attic.
inside your breakfast bowl? Cereal
chemists study grains like wheat, rice,
Curie loved her science classes but had trouble with math.
corn, and oats and how to make them
In science, she studied chemistry and physics (FIZ-iks). She
into cereals. Since grains are the base
hired a tutor and worked many extra hours on math. She
of the world’s food supply, studying
studied late nearly every night.
their chemistry is a growing field.
Cereal chemists spend most of their
A young Curie as portrayed by an actress in a movie about the scientist’s life
time in the lab looking for the best
way to make cereal products.
The Sorbonne is Europe’s oldest university.
All of her classes were
taught in French. Curie only
spoke Polish. She learned to
read, write, and speak French.
Curie didn’t let anything
stop her from doing her
schoolwork. Sometimes she
even forgot to eat. She finished
her studies at the top of her
class. She was first in her
class in physics. Curie won a
scholarship to study math. It
is a sign of her intelligence that
despite her earlier troubles, she
finished second in her class.
 9
Marie and Pierre A Modern Family
Curie was a very practical, organized
Curie was offered woman. She was determined to be
a job to study magnets a good scientist. She also wanted to
be a good wife and mother. It was
and how they interact
very important to both her and her
with different kinds of
husband that they continue their
steel. She searched for
work together. So she hired a servant
lab space. It was then to work around the house. She also
she met Pierre Curie. asked Pierre Curie’s father to babysit
the children.
He worked as a teacher
and head of the lab at
another school in Paris.
Note Taker
Pierre Curie was already
Curie took notes on all of her
famous for his work with
experiments. Among them are also
magnets and crystals. notes of things such as a jelly recipe
The two married. They and how much it cost to have her
laundry done.
had two daughters, Iréne
Curie and her daughters
and Eve.
Society made it
difficult at the time for
women scientists to work
alone. So, many women
like Curie married
fellow scientists. The
Curies worked together
Pages from
for many years. Curie’s notebook
Marie and Pierre Curie
10 11
Discovering Radium
Curie needed a subject for her Labs: Then and Now
doctorate degree. This is the highest
college degree a person can earn. She Marie Curie’s laboratory was an
was interested in the work of two old shack with a leaky roof which
scientists. One discovered X-rays. They medical students used to dissect
are rays of energy. The other found human bodies. Curie sweltered
that the element uranium (yoo-RAY- in the summer and froze in the
nee-uhm) also gives off rays of energy. winter. It was impossible to control
the conditions in the lab. Curie
She had a hunch that the energy
carefully recorded the results of
from uranium had to do with its atoms.
her work in hundreds of laboratory
Atoms are the basic building blocks
notebooks. Modern scientists can’t
that make up everything in the universe.
imagine how Curie managed to find
Curie and her husband tested other
the atomic weight of radium under
elements to see if they made radiation.
such conditions. Modern labs are
In this way, they discovered a new
clean and comfortable. The Institut
element. Curie named it polonium (puh-
Curie in Paris, shown here, is named
LOH-nee-uhm) after Poland. She made
after Curie. It has some of the best
up the word radioactive to describe
lab conditions available today.
substances that create radiation.
Then, the Curies discovered
another element. They named it radium
(RAY-dee-uhm). They worked for
many years to prove their findings.
They had to find a way to isolate the
substances in their pure forms. They
The light in this drawing of the Curies also had to find the atomic (uh-TOM-
shows how amazing their discoveries were. ik) weight of each element. That is the
weight of just one of its atoms.
12 13
A Determined Scientist! The First Nobel Prize
The Curies bought tons of Marie Curie was determined to prove she and her husband
pitchblende in 50-pound bags. had discovered new elements. She wanted other scientists to
Marie Curie carried nearly 40 know. So, first they worked to find pure radium. They found
of these bags, dumped them a large lab and a huge amount of pitchblende (PICH-blend). It
into pots, and added acid and is a brownish-black mineral that contains radium. At the same
a large amount of water. Then time, Curie finished her doctorate, wrote reports, and began
she stirred the mixture with a teaching at a women’s college.
long metal rod to dissolve the
In 1902, the Curies isolated radium. They also found its
pitchblende. The metal rod was
atomic weight. They believed their discovery belonged to the
nearly as long as she was! She
world. They shared the details with other scientists.
did all this work to make 1/ of
10
a gram of radium. During this time, they found themselves
always tired and losing weight. Their fingers
were numb and they burned. This was from
handling radium. Some experts think the
Curies knew radium would make them sick.
They ignored the dangers to continue the
work.
In 1903, the Curies were awarded the
Nobel Prize in physics for their work.
The award was to be given to Pierre
and another scientist. Pierre refused it
unless Marie was included. She finally
was. By that time, the Curies were too
sick to travel to accept the award.
This image from a movie about Curie’s life shows Curie’s work, published in 1903
how she may have looked while stirring the
pitchblende mixture.
14 15