Marie Curie Essay, Research Paper

Why was Marie Curie a significant woman in European Science? Marie Curie was the most successful scientist to come out of Poland. She saw science as a beauty that she wanted to withhold.# Science to her was an unknown fairy tale phenomena that she was determined to discover. Marie Curie wanted to use science to help others, and the world. She accomplished this by working in World War I, and discovering radium, and polonium.

Marie Curie?s discovery of polonium was a great scientific finding. This is because it helped the research of uranic rays, and it led to the discovery of radium.

Henri Becquerel was alone in his investigation of ?uranic rays?. He had discovered that the element uranium was one of the elements of uranic rays.#

Marie Curie decided to take on the investigation for her doctorial thesis.# After much experimentation, Curie stumbled upon an unknown element. She was convinced another element was involved in the rays. Along with the help of her husband, they began to investigate another element, and stumbled upon polonium. This is how she and her husband, Pierre Currie, came to discover polonium in1898. They had accidentally discovered it while experimenting with uranic rays. They found that polonium occurs naturally in the uranium ore pitchblende.# The two named this element after Poland, where Marie Curie was born.

The discovery of polonium was very important because it was another element in uranic rays, and it helped and still today helps scientists for nuclear research.#

Marie Curie?s discovery of radium was another great scientific finding. Marie and Pierre Curie, and their co-worker, Gustave Bemont, discovered radium in 1898, while they had been processing pitchblende, a uranium ore.#

Marie Curie believed there was a third element, aside from uranium and polonium, that produced uranic rays.# Therefore with the help of her husband and Gustave Bemont, she found radium.

Radium was used for diagnosis, and treatment through radiation.# Doctors can find diseases by injecting a radioactive substance into someone and monitoring the radiation given off as the substance moves through the persons body.# Doctor?s can also find broken and anything on the inside of the body by using x-rays.# It was one of the important ingredients in fluorescent lights.# Radium releases large amounts of high-energy radiation which can be dangerous to humans.#

The contribution of Marie Curie?s discoveries to radioactivity were very helpful to science.

In 1896, Becquerel discovered uranic rays. Later on, scientist Rutherford discovered that the radiation consisted of particles he named, alphas and betas.# Then Marie Curie and her husband stepped in and found other substances that produced radiation, and called them, polonium and radium. The work of the Curies helped to lead scientists into the great interest in the structure of the atom.

The Curies discovery of radium was significant because they identified the third element in uranic rays, and helped the study of radiation by finding one of the major elements. The discovery also sparked interest in the atom and led scientists to research it.# Marie Curie helped World War I in many ways because of her work with the X-ray. The X-ray was invented by Roentgen in 1895. The X-ray made it possible to explore the insides of a human without performing surgery.#

Marie Curie wanted to contribute to the war between France and Germany. She made the decision to close her laboratory and take her part in the war by working as a nurse in the army hospitals.# After researching, she found that there were almost no X-rays throughout all of the hospitals. Discovering this, she decided to take action.

Curie was already informed on how x-rays worked from all the lectures she had received. She found material to ship to all different hospitals so that they could begin using the machines on sick patients.#

These X-rays would help to easily locate bullets in soldiers and make operations quicker and easier. Soon after her contribution of the x-rays, Curie realized that it would be impossible to bring all the sick to the machines, so she decided to bring the machines to the sick.#

Marie Curie invented a car that she put a Roentgen apparatus (x-ray) and a dynamo in. It was motor driven and went form hospital to hospital, helping doctors care for a greater number of patients more efficiently.# These cars acquired the name ?little Curies?, because of their creator, Marie Curie.

As the war went on, once more money was accumulated, hospitals were furnished with X-rays to make them easily available for doctors.

Marie Curie?s help in the World War I had a large impact on Europe because her ideas helped to save many sick and dying, and improve the medical world and the hospitals.

Marie Curie was an outstanding woman who was well recognized by her views, and by winning two Nobel Prizes. In 1903 the Curies won their very first Nobel Prize for Physics. This was an outstanding honor to both of them, and to Becquerel whom they had shared it with.

In 1911 Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize, this time alone. Due to her succession in isolating pure radium metal, this prize was won for chemistry.# She was the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.

Clearly, all of Marie Curie?s discoveries and contributions helped European science to grow and flourish.

Due to her brilliant mind and determined heart, Marie Curie became one of Europe?s most important scientific figures of all time. Her determination and interest had an impact on many other scientists as-well. Marie Curie?s discoveries of polonium and radium developed knowledge about radiation and uranic rays.

Her contribution to World War I saved lives and improved technology for the many doctors working in the army hospitals to save fleeting lives.

She also showed many other women around the world, that she could do it just as well as any man, if not better. Curie served as a role model to the all females in Europe, and all over the world. This gave women everywhere strength, and showed them they could do whatever it is their heart desired, just as well as a man. In conclusion, Marie Curie was a well recognized and respected woman in European Science.

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