Part 2 Study Flashcards
(20 cards)
29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954
Italian and naturalized American physicist
Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity
creator of the world’s first artificial nuclear reactor
Leading the Manhattan Project that helped develop the atomic bomb
created new radioactive elements by bombarding uranium with neutrons. He discovered that slowing down neutrons increased the rate at which they interacted with nuclei. This led to the discovery of many new radioactive isotope
Enrico Fermi
1881-1955
Scottish physician and microbiologist
Known for: helped create penicillin, world’s first broadly effective antibiotic substance
-discovered penicillin by accident
-led to the discovery of other antibiotics, which reduced deaths from infection
Shared Nobel prize in Physiology with 2 other people in 1928
Started modern antibiotics
Alexander Fleming
January 17, 1706 January 6, 1705]– April 17, 1790
American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher
one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general
- made significant impacts in meteorology and oceanography, notably through his studies of the Gulf Stream
-innovative experiments and discoveries, particularly in the field of electricity
-groundbreaking work included the famous kite experiment, which demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning and led to the development of the lightning rod, a critical tool for protecting buildings from lightning strikes
Inventions:
Swim Fins As an avid swimmer, he invented wooden swim fins to help propel himself through the water more efficiently. He used them on his hands rather than his feet.
Odometer To measure the distance he traveled by carriage, he invented the odometer. This device helped improve postal service efficiency by allowing better route planning.
-Inventions:
Bifocal Glasses invented bifocal glasses to help people who are both near-sighted and far-sighted.
Lightning Rod To protect buildings from lightning strikes, he invented the lightning rod, which safely directs the electrical discharge into the ground.
Franklin Stove This invention was designed to provide more heat with less fuel compared to traditional fireplaces. improved efficiency and safety in home heating.
Glass Harmonica musical instrument, which produces music by rubbing glass bowls of different sizes. It was popular in Europe during his time.
Flexible Urinary Catheter a flexible catheter to help his brother who suffered from bladder stones.
Benjamin Franklin
25 July 1920 – 16 April 1958
British chemist and X-ray scientist
pioneering chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work significantly contributed to the understanding of molecular structures, particularly DNA
Conducted research on viruses
She was best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction
Through her expertise in X-ray diffraction techniques, she captured the famous “Photo 51,” …
which provided insights into the helical structure of DNA. Her findings were integral to the model proposed by James Watson & Francis Crick, which identified the double helix structure of DNA.
Rosalind Franklin
1564-1642
Italy
Astronomer, physicist, mathematician, philosopher
Known for Father of Modern Science and Heliocentrism (sun center of the universe)
Said the planets revolve around the sun, confirmed different phases of Venus with a telescope, rings of Saturn,
Observed sunspots and moons of Jupiter, craters on moon’s surface
Improved telescope magnification, microscope, thermometer, compass, balance
Galileo Galilei
3 April 1934 born
English zoologist, primatologist and anthropologist
founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which supports wildlife research, education, and conservation efforts worldwide. Her work has raised global awareness about the threats faced by chimpanzees and other wildlife due to habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade
world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees
first to observe and document chimpanzees making and using tools, a behavior previously thought to be exclusive to humans
Spent 60 years’ studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees
documented behaviors such as hunting, social bonding, and emotional expressions, highlighting the similarities between chimpanzee and human social behaviors
Jane Goodall
1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657
English physician
-known for his detailed description of the human circulatory system
-1628, he published “Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus” (An Anatomical Exercise on the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals), where he systematically demonstrated how blood circulates throughout the body
first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, pulmonary and systemic circulation as well as the specific process of blood being pumped to the brain and the rest of the body by the heart
-debunked the long-held Galenic belief that blood was produced by the liver and consumed by the organs. Instead, he showed that blood is pumped by the heart, circulates in a closed loop via arteries and veins, and is reused rather than consumed
William Harvey
16 March 1750 – 9 January 1848
German astronomer
-first woman to discover a comet, and she went on to discover eight comets in total between 1786 and 1797. Her discoveries include the periodic comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet (named after her)
-worked closely with her brother, William Herschel, who was also a prominent astronomer and is credited with the discovery of Uranus
-awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828, becoming the first woman to receive this honor. In 1835, she, along with Mary Somerville, became the first women to be named honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society
-instrumental in the development of comprehensive star catalogues. She meticulously compiled and corrected star data, which was crucial for astronomers of the time. This work made significant contributions to the field of astronomy by improving navigation and understanding of the night sky
Caroline Herschel
460BC-370BC
Greece
Physician and philosopher
Wrote over 70 books/writings - described many diseases and treatment observations
Known for Father of Medicine
Credited with writing the Hippocratic Oath that medical professionals follow today.
Theory of the vapors, stated that many diseases were result of bad diet
Believed that illness had a natural cause - not superstition or the wrath of the gods
-introduced the theory of the four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. He believed that an imbalance in these humors caused disease. This theory dominated medical thinking for centuries, laying the groundwork for future scientific inquiry into the causes of disease
Hippocrates
18 July 1635 – 3 March 1703
English polymath who was active as a physicist (“natural philosopher”), astronomer, geologist, meteorologist and architect
-architect and played a major role in the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666. He collaborated with Christopher Wren on the design of several notable structures, including the Monument to the Great Fire of London
-conducted experiments with light and color, contributing to the wave theory of light
one of the first scientists to investigate living things at microscopic scale - named cells after observing cork under microscope
-contributions to the field of astronomy, including observations on the rotation of Jupiter and the nature of planetary motion. He is credited with being one of the first to suggest that the force of gravity could be described mathematically
-formulated the law of elasticity, known as Hooke’s Law, which states that the force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance is proportional to that distance. This principle is a cornerstone in the field of mechanics
-supported the idea that fossils were the remains of once-living organisms, providing evidence for the history of life on Earth
Robert Hooke
1889-1953
American astronomer
Known for: Exploring the Milky Way, Hubble’s Law (theory that the universe is always expanding due to recessional velocity)
-observations led to the calculation of the Hubble Constant, a value that describes the rate of expansion of the universe
played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology
-developed a classification system for galaxies, known as the Hubble Sequence or the Hubble Tuning Fork. This system categorizes galaxies into groups such as ellipticals, spirals, and irregulars, providing a framework that is still used by astronomers today
most widely recognized for the Hubble Space Telescope, which was named in his honor
Edwin Hubble
3 June 1726 – 26 March 1797
Scottish geologist, agriculturalist, chemical manufacturer, naturalist and physician
Father of Modern Geology
-introduced the principle that the Earth was shaped by the same natural processes still in operation today, such as erosion and sedimentation
-proposed that geological processes occur over immensely long periods, which implied that the Earth was much older than previously thought
-conceptualized the rock cycle, illustrating how rocks are continuously formed, eroded, and reformed
advanced the idea that the physical world’s remote history can be inferred from evidence in present-day rocks
James Hutton
born August 5, 1946
American physicist
-During her time at AT&T Bell Laboratories, she conducted groundbreaking research that led to advancements in telecommunications
-contributed to the development of technologies like fiber optic cables, which are essential for high-speed internet
first African American woman to have earned a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
served as the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where she focused on safety and regulatory issues
Shirley Ann Jackson
August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020
American mathematician
-one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist
Worked on several space missions to get astronauts safely back to Earth, including John Glenn
earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks
Katherine Coleman Johnson
24 December 1818 – 11 October 1889
English physicist
- studied the nature of heat and discovered its relationship to mechanical work
-development and acceptance of the law of conservation of energy, which posits that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another
law of conservation of energy, which in turn led to the development of the first law of thermodynamics
- formulation of Joule’s Law, which states that the heat produced is proportional to the square of the current multiplied by the resistance and the time for which it flows
SI unit of energy, the joule (J), is named after him. He worked with Lord Kelvin to develop an absolute thermodynamic temperature scale, which came to be called the Kelvin scale
James Prescott Joule
April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975)
American research chemist
-is renowned for his work on the synthesis of physostigmine, an alkaloid used to treat glaucoma. His innovative synthesis method made this critical drug more accessible and affordable, significantly impacting the treatment of this eye condition
pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants
-pioneering work in the synthesis of steroid hormones. He developed an industrial-scale process for synthesizing cortisone, progesterone, and testosterone from plant sterols (used for arthritis and inflammatory diseases)
one of the first African Americans to be allowed to earn a doctorate in chemistry
-innovations extended to the industrial processing of soybeans. He developed a fire-fighting foam from soy protein, which was used extensively by the U.S. Navy during World War II
Percy Julian
August 14, 1883 – October 27, 1941
African-American
pioneering biologist, academic and science writer
-primary legacy is his recognition of the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development of organisms
-conducted extensive studies on marine invertebrates, particularly sea urchins, to understand fertilization
-work highlighted the significance of the cytoplasm in development
Ernest Everett Just
1824-1907
England/British/Scottish, Irish
Physicist, engineer
Known as Lord Kelvin
Known for: Kelvin Scale of Temperature
Determined the value for absolute zero in regards to temperature.
-made important contributions to the wave theory of light, which helped in the development of electromagnetic theory
Estimated that the earth is between 20-400 million years old.
Helped develop the second law of thermodynamics (heat flows from hotter to colder areas)
Inventions:
Kelvin water dropper (generates high voltage direct current using falling water)
Ampere balance (a device used to measure electric current)
William Thomson Kelvin
1571-1630
Germany
Mathematician, astronomer, writer
Known for: Laws of Planetary Motion (3 laws) - planets move in elliptical paths around the sun, move faster if close to sun
-observed a supernova in 1604
Defined a new type of astronomy called “celestial physics” which said that God created the world that can only be studied through reasoning
Developed the Keplerian Telescope, improvement on previous telescopes
-contributions to the field of optics. He was the first to explain how the eye works and described the process of vision, including the role of the retina
Johannes Kepler
July 4, 1868 – December 12, 1921
American astronomer
-discovery of the relationship between the luminosity and the period of Cepheid variable stars - known as the “Leavitt Law,” established that the brighter Cepheid variables had longer periods. This relationship was crucial because it allowed astronomers to determine the distance to faraway galaxies
-By knowing the actual brightness of Cepheid stars, scientists could infer their distance from Earth, enabling more accurate mapping of the universe
-Her discoveries paved the way for Edwin Hubble’s determination that the universe is expanding
- meticulously analyzed photographic plates and cataloged thousands of variable stars
Henrietta Leavitt
