The 20th Century

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Dec 6, 2023

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1 Physics in the 20 th Century Donte O. Watson-Grant American Military University Hist270: History of Science Dr. Kimberly Rush August 29, 2021

2 The 20 th Century The 20 th century was replete with many developments, physicists, and inventions, all which played key roles in the evolution of physics. Many discoveries were established through institutional environments, federal laboratories, industrial laboratories, and universities. Physicists were credited for more their progressive findings during this period, noting that there were discoveries both made on earth and in space. The focal point will be on key federal laboratory findings, the achievements that were made here on earth and how Marie Curie contributed to the growth of physics. Part A Federal laboratories are defined as government funded institutions that are mission driven and are engaged mainly in basic foundational research. These laboratories were noteworthy in their efforts to the expansion of knowledge in physics during the 20 th century. Federal laboratories developed and contributed to the progression of both science and technology during this period. They enabled physicists to educate the country through various means; uncovering efficient use of natural resources, developing advanced technology user friendly products, and systemizing industrial manufacture. The Department of Energy (DOE) is a federal funded institution ran by contractors and were critical during the World War II Manhattan Project, in developing the atomic bomb and splitting uranium atoms. Each laboratory played their role and had notable influence on the day to day lives of the American public.

3 Part B Progression and achievement in the field of science by physicists, were discovered more here on earth rather than in space. The Manhattan Project: was a code word used during World War II by Americans, in effort to developing a fully functional atomic weapon. The disputable modeling of the atomic bomb was led by some of the world’s major scientific minds. Majority of it’s creation was done in Los Alamos, New Mexico in fear that German scientist were working on nuclear technology during the 1930s. 1939, theoretical physicist Albert Einstein notified President Roosevelt about Germany’s work towards assembling a weapon utilizing nuclear fission. His warning resulted in the forming of a committee, which studied military implications of nuclear physics. 1941, theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer led The Manhattan Project as the director of the Los Alamos laboratory. They were responsible for the research and creation of an atomic bomb, which was used against Japan after their refusal to surrender. Part C Marie Curie is known to be a key contributor to both inside and out of the laboratories. Discovering the elements polonium and radium with her husband were not her shortcoming, as she was credited as well for playing a role in finding treatments for cancer. She was the first of women to win a Nobel Prize and the first of any to win multiple. Marie Curie shared her knowledge (discovery of radium), stating that it’s isolation furnished proof that radioactivity is an atomic attribute of matter and can be a mean of pursing new components. Radium is now used quite frequently, in medicine to produce radon gas for cancer treatment.

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4 Conclusion Physicists, federal institutions, and their discoveries generated a crucial transformation that influenced the field of physics. Federal laboratories primed the economy for growth and designed the atomic bomb changing the future of warfighting. Achievements made both on earth and in space were vital, however The Manhattan Project proved to be the one of the most significant discoveries known to date. Marie Curie’s discovery of radium along with her other findings, now has a lasting effect in the medical field. Bibliography Cassidy, David C. A Short History of Physics in the American Century. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2011. Curie, M. (1911) - The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911. Retrieved May 23, 2021, from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1911/marie-curie/lecture/ Ridge, M. A. (2016) - Manhattan Project. In Facts on File (Ed.), World history: A Comprehensive Reference Set. Facts on File. Credo Reference: https://search- credoreferencecom.ezproxy2.apus.edu/content/entry/fofworld/manhattan_project/0

The 20th Century

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