19th & 20th Century Scientific Advances

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Questions and Answers

What significant concept is associated with Ivan Pavlov's findings on dogs?

Relativity theory

Classical conditioning (correct)

Thermodynamics

Quantum entanglement

Which of the following was NOT a contribution made by Wilhelm Röntgen?

Development of serum therapy (correct)

Studies in heat and electricity

Discovery of X-rays

Innovations in mechanics

What principle did Kitasato Shibasaburo demonstrate with his tetanus serum?

Vaccination theory

Cellular respiration

Antibody formation (correct)

Homeostasis

What aspect of chaos theory did Henri Poincaré's findings reveal?

Effects of small changes can lead to large variations Signup and view all the answers

In what year did Wilhelm Röntgen discover X-rays?

1895 Signup and view all the answers

What motivated Röntgen to bequeath his Nobel Prize money?

Supporting scientific research Signup and view all the answers

Which major disease was Kitasato Shibasaburo's serum therapy NOT designed to protect against?

Smallpox Signup and view all the answers

Which award did Ivan Pavlov receive for his work in physiology?

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Signup and view all the answers

Which discovery is J.J. Thomson credited with that significantly changed atomic theory?

The existence of isotopes Signup and view all the answers

What significant idea about climate change did Svante Arrhenius propose?

Human activity could warm the Earth Signup and view all the answers

What pattern did Henrietta Swan Leavitt discover in Cepheid variable stars?

They exhibit a consistent pattern of brightness changes Signup and view all the answers

What was Harriet Brooks' key contribution to nuclear physics?

Evidence that one element can transform into another Signup and view all the answers

Which observational contribution did Annie Jump Cannon make to astronomy?

Harvard Spectral Classification system Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary focus of Srinivasa Ramanujan's work despite his lack of formal training?

Mathematical analysis and number theory Signup and view all the answers

What equation did Erwin Schrödinger develop that transformed our understanding of electrons?

Schrödinger's wave equation Signup and view all the answers

How did Ronald Fisher reconcile the ideas of Darwin and Mendel?

Through statistical methods in experimentation Signup and view all the answers

What experiment did Harold Urey and Stanley Miller conduct in 1953?

Simulating early Earth atmospheres to create life compounds Signup and view all the answers

Which concept best describes J.J. Thomson's plum pudding model?

Positive charge is evenly spread to balance negative electrons Signup and view all the answers

What was a characteristic feature of Henrietta Swan Leavitt's methods at the Harvard Observatory?

She analyzed photographic plates for stellar luminosity Signup and view all the answers

Which significant outcome followed Schrödinger's wave mechanics?

Formation of quantum mechanics Signup and view all the answers

What theory did Svante Arrhenius challenge regarding Earth’s ancient climate?

The connection between atmospheric gases and temperature Signup and view all the answers

In which area did Ronald Fisher make a pioneering impact?

Statistical methods in genetics and experimentation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

19th Century Science and Progress

Science became closely associated with progress by the turn of the 19th century.

20th Century Scientific Breakthroughs

Significant advancements in fundamental ideas occurred in the 20th century, driven by cutting-edge research.
Discoveries were abundant, rewriting knowledge about subatomic and cosmological levels.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen

German physicist who discovered X-rays in 1895.
Discovered that electrically charged vacuum tubes emitted rays that made a fluorescent screen glow.
These electromagnetic rays could penetrate human skin to expose photographic plates but were blocked by metal and bone.
Awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
He never patented the X-ray and donated his prize money to scientific research.
Also known for his contributions to mechanics, heat, and electricity.

Kitasato Shibasaburo

Japanese physician and bacteriologist who studied in Tokyo and Berlin.
Developed serum therapy to protect against tetanus and diphtheria.
In 1890, he discovered that injections of tetanus serum containing antitoxin from an animal exposed to tetanus bacteria conferred immunity.
Applied the same principle to protect against diphtheria.

Ivan Pavlov

Russian-born scientist who transitioned from a religious career to physiology.
Became a professor at the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg in 1890.
Studied digestive secretions in dogs and discovered classical conditioning.
Dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell with food, eventually salivating even without food present.
This discovery is now known as Pavlovian conditioning.
Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1904 for his groundbreaking work.

Jules Henri Poincaré

French mathematical physicist who studied the stability of the solar system.
Noticed that even tiny changes in initial conditions could lead to significant and unpredictable changes in outcomes (chaotic behavior).
These findings, published as early as 1908, formed the basis for chaos theory.
His work on electromagnetism influenced Einstein's research on relativity.

J.J. Thomson

English physicist who made significant contributions to understanding atomic structure.
Identified "corpuscles" (later called electrons) using a cathode ray tube.
Showed that electrons have a negative electric charge and are 2,000 times lighter than a hydrogen atom.
Proposed the "plum pudding model" of the atom, suggesting that a positive charge is spread throughout with electrons embedded within.
His discoveries revolutionized theories of atoms and electricity.
He also confirmed the existence of isotopes.

Svante Arrhenius

Swedish physicist who studied at the University of Uppsala.
Became a professor of physics at the University of Stockholm.
In the 1890s, he theorized that ice ages were caused by reduced volcanic eruptions.
Fewer eruptions would lead to lower carbon dioxide levels, cooling the Earth.
He linked human activity (fossil fuel burning) to increased carbon dioxide and rising global temperatures, laying the groundwork for modern climate change concerns.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt

American astronomer who studied at Radcliffe College.
Worked at the Harvard College Observatory, analyzing the luminosity of stars from photographic plates.
Discovered a regular pattern of brightness in Cepheid variable stars.
Her work was instrumental in measuring the distance between Earth and other galaxies.
Discovered over 2,400 variable stars and four novae.
Developed a standard for photographic measurements called the Harvard Standard.
Her contributions were largely underappreciated during her lifetime.

Harriet Brooks

Canadian physicist who graduated from McGill University.
Became Canada's first female nuclear physicist.
Studied under J.J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford, working in Marie Curie's laboratory.
Discovered that nuclear decay can lead to the transformation of one element into another.
Some of her findings were only attributed to her posthumously.

Annie Jump Cannon

American astronomer who became a leading authority on stellar spectra.
Studied physics and astronomy at Wellesley College.
Joined the Harvard College Observatory in 1896, classifying stars.
Pioneered a star classification system in 1901, laying the foundation for the Harvard Spectral Classification system.
Classified over 350,000 stars during her 44 years at the observatory.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

Indian mathematician who made significant contributions to mathematical analysis and number theory.
Received little formal training.
Invited to Cambridge in 1913 after sending mathematician G.H. Hardy a letter and 120 mathematical theorems.
Awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in 1916 and became the second Indian fellow of the Royal Society.
Sadly, he died of tuberculosis in 1920.

Erwin Schrödinger

Austrian physicist who studied at the University of Vienna.
Made groundbreaking contributions to quantum physics while working at the University of Zurich.
Developed the Schrödinger wave equation, offering a new understanding of particle behavior.
This equation showed that orbitals, shells, and subshells are probability clouds representing the likelihood of an electron's location.
His equations of wave mechanics revolutionized our understanding of the world and formed the basis for modern quantum mechanics.

Ronald Fisher
British statistician and geneticist who pioneered the use of statistics in scientific experimentation.
In 1918, he published a paper highlighting the application of statistical tools to reconcile Darwin's theory of natural selection with Mendel's experiments.
Knighted in 1952 for his contributions to science.

Harold Urey and Stanley Miller

American chemists who conducted a landmark experiment in 1953.
Simulated Earth's early atmosphere in the laboratory using electrical sparks to mimic lightning.
Their experiment showed that simple carbon-based compounds, essential for life, could be produced under such conditions.

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Description

Explore the pivotal scientific advancements of the 19th and 20th centuries. Learn about key figures like Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and Kitasato Shibasaburo, whose discoveries greatly influenced modern science. This quiz dives into how these breakthroughs have shaped our understanding of the natural world.