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Questions and Answers
Which scientist is known for classifying over 350,000 stars and pioneered the classification system in 1901?
Which scientist is known for classifying over 350,000 stars and pioneered the classification system in 1901?
Who discovered the regular brightness patterns in Cepheid variable stars that helped measure galactic distances?
Who discovered the regular brightness patterns in Cepheid variable stars that helped measure galactic distances?
Which scientist was the first female nuclear physicist in Canada and studied under notable physicists like J.J. Thomson?
Which scientist was the first female nuclear physicist in Canada and studied under notable physicists like J.J. Thomson?
Which mathematician sent 120 mathematical theorems to G.H. Hardy and had little formal training?
Which mathematician sent 120 mathematical theorems to G.H. Hardy and had little formal training?
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What significant equation did Erwin Schrödinger develop that advanced quantum physics?
What significant equation did Erwin Schrödinger develop that advanced quantum physics?
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Who was knighted in 1952 for significant contributions to statistics and genetics?
Who was knighted in 1952 for significant contributions to statistics and genetics?
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Which pair of scientists simulated early Earth conditions to show the formation of life-giving compounds?
Which pair of scientists simulated early Earth conditions to show the formation of life-giving compounds?
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What discovery did Harriet Brooks make while working in Marie Curie's laboratory?
What discovery did Harriet Brooks make while working in Marie Curie's laboratory?
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Which scientist is credited with the discovery of X-rays?
Which scientist is credited with the discovery of X-rays?
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What is classical conditioning, as demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov?
What is classical conditioning, as demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov?
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What did Kitasato Shibasaburo develop to confer immunity against diseases?
What did Kitasato Shibasaburo develop to confer immunity against diseases?
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Which of the following concepts is Henri Poincaré associated with?
Which of the following concepts is Henri Poincaré associated with?
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What model did J. J. Thomson propose regarding the structure of atoms?
What model did J. J. Thomson propose regarding the structure of atoms?
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What did J. J. Thomson confirm that changed the understanding of atomic structure?
What did J. J. Thomson confirm that changed the understanding of atomic structure?
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What discovery earned Wilhelm Röntgen the first Nobel Prize in Physics?
What discovery earned Wilhelm Röntgen the first Nobel Prize in Physics?
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What were the results of Henri Poincaré's research on the solar system characterized by?
What were the results of Henri Poincaré's research on the solar system characterized by?
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What scientific approach did Kitasato Shibasaburo's serum therapy exemplify?
What scientific approach did Kitasato Shibasaburo's serum therapy exemplify?
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In which field did Svante Arrhenius conduct his research?
In which field did Svante Arrhenius conduct his research?
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Study Notes
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923)
- German physicist who discovered X-rays in 1895
- Found that electrically charged vacuum tubes emit rays that make a fluorescent screen glow
- These electromagnetic rays went through human skin to expose photographic plates but were blocked by metal and bone.
- Won the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901
- Bequeathed the prize money to scientific research and never patented the X-ray
- Known for discoveries in mechanics, heat, and electricity.
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
- Russian-born physiologist who researched digestive secretions of dogs
- Found that dogs learned to associate the arrival of food with the sound of a bell
- After a while, even when no food was provided, the dogs still salivated in response to the bell being rung
- This is now called classical, or Pavlovian, conditioning
- Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1904 for his work.
Kitasato Shibasaburo (1853-1931)
- Japanese physician and bacteriologist who developed serum therapy to protect against tetanus and diphtheria
- In 1890, he discovered that injections of his tetanus serum, which contained the antitoxin that had been produced in the blood of an animal exposed to the tetanus bacteria, conferred immunity on the animal to which it was given
- Applied the same principle to protect against diphtheria.
Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912)
- French mathematical physicist who noticed that even tiny changes in the initial conditions of a system often result in large-and unpredictable-changes in outcome (chaos theory)
- His findings about chaos were initially overlooked but became the foundation for chaos theory several decades later.
- Wrote papers on electromagnetism that informed Einstein's work on relativity.
J.J. Thomson (1856-1940)
- English physicist who identified "corpuscles," later called electrons, using a cathode ray tube
- Found that particles had a negative electric charge and were about 2,000 times lighter than a hydrogen atom
- Proposed the plum pudding model of the atom, suggesting electrons existed within a positively charged sphere.
- His discovery revolutionized the theories of atoms and electricity
- Confirmed the existence of isotopes - elements that each have several types of atoms, chemically identical but differing in weight.
Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927)
- Swedish physicist who studied at the University of Uppsala
- Became professor of physics
Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941)
- American astronomer
- Leading authority on stellar spectra
- Studied physics and astronomy at Wellesley College and the Harvard College Observatory
- Pioneered the classification of stars (1901 system)
- Classified over 350,000 stars.
Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921)
- Studied at Radcliffe College
- Became interested in astronomy
- Examined the luminosity of stars from thousands of photographic plates
- Noticed regular brightness patterns in Cepheid variable stars
- This discovery was crucial for measuring distances between Earth and other galaxies
- Discovered over 2,400 variable stars and four novae.
Harriet Brooks (1876-1933)
- Born in Ontario, Canada
- Graduated from McGill University in 1901
- Canada's first female nuclear physicist
- Studied under J.J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford
- Worked in Marie Curie's laboratory
- Discovered element transmutation through nuclear decay
- First person to identify the radioactive decay of radon.
Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920)
- Born in Madras, India
- Major contributions to mathematical analysis and number theory
- Little formal training, but sent 120 mathematical theorems to G.H. Hardy
- Invited to Cambridge in 1913
- Awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in 1916
- Second Indian to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
- Died in 1920 from tuberculosis.
Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961)
- Born in Vienna, Austria
- Studied physics at the University of Vienna and Zurich
- Developed the Schrödinger wave equation for quantum physics
- Changed the understanding of how some particles behave (rather than orbiting the nucleus, electrons exist in orbitals/clouds of probability).
Ronald Fisher (1890-1962)
- British statistician and geneticist
- Pioneered the application of statistics to scientific experimentation
- Published a 1918 paper illustrating the use of statistical tools to reconcile Darwin's ideas with Mendel's experiments
- Knighted in 1952.
Harold Urey and Stanley Miller (1893-1981; 1930-2007)
- American chemists who simulated early Earth conditions (electrical sparks, water, and gases like hydrogen, methane, and ammonia)
- Demonstrated that simple life-giving carbon-based compounds could be produced under these conditions.
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Description
Explore the groundbreaking discoveries of key scientists such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Ivan Pavlov, and Kitasato Shibasaburo. This quiz delves into their major contributions, including the discovery of X-rays and classical conditioning. Test your knowledge on their pivotal roles in physics and physiology.
