As we approach the end of 2021, I have taken a look back at history and some major events that happened in physics in December. Honestly, a lot of important things in physics did happen in the month of December, what I have complied here is more of my favorite personal picks; I hope you enjoy them – as I did!
December 14th, 1990: Quantum physics is born
Perhaps the greatest discovery in the last century and change – this month we’re celebrating 121 years of Quantum physics!
Quantum physics, which dominates our modern view of the world, has its roots in the early 1900s. It wasn’t singlehandedly discovered by a single person, but rather arose from controlled laboratory experiments involving radiations emitted by hot objects.
Here is a bit of context
Objects give off thermal radiation because of their temperatures. The higher the temperature the more thermal radiation is emitted and vice versa. When physicists studied such radiation in detail (black-body radiation). They found some anomalies, their experimental results departed significantly from what they would expect from their prediction.
To account for the discrepancy, they came up with different theories to explain the odd behavior of black-body radiation. The two most prominent theories Rayleigh-Jeans law and Wien’s law are shown below for clarity.
It fell on Max Plank to solve the conundrum of black-body and the prevailing theory of radiation. In his attempts to reconcile experimental data with a fitting mathematical equation, Max Plank conceived a revolutionary idea that treated energy in form of radiations as a form of packets (quanta) rather than a continuous stream of electromagnetic emission. He was the first to propose that energy was quantized, the rest is history.
In December 1900, Max Plank presented a paper on thermal radiation that contained the value “h” for the first time. The value “h” has since played a fundamental role in the understanding of quantum physics and has since been known as the Plank’s constant.
December 23rd 1750: Benjamin Franklin nearly kills himself attempting to electrocute a Turkey.
Benjamin Franklin wore many hats in his life. One can make a very strong case that his success as a writer, poet, diplomat, and one of the founders of the USA is attributed to his supreme cool. His ability to remain calm and composed in matters of leadership enabled him to take action that resulted in the best interest of a broader picture.
But as a scientist, it’s somewhat a different story. Despite his composure and tranquility in dealing with diplomatic issues, he doesn’t take home the “most careful scientist of all time” trophy. In fact, he doesn’t even come close1. To be fair though, he was more of a risk-taker daunting scientist than a careless one. But again, there’s a very thin line between those two.
The phrase, “fortune favors the brave” makes plenty of sense describing Benjamin Franklin.
Anyway, in December 1750 Franklin invited some of his friends to his home in Philadelphia to help him slaughter a turkey for Christmas dinner. The idea was simple and brave: electrocute a poor Turkey to death.
Why get your hands dirty bloody when you have two powerfully charged Jayden Jars and a daring scientist – I mean, what could go wrong? Besides being an experienced writer himself, Franklin’s hands were nifty and dexterous, if there was one man who could pull it off, it had to be him.
But as they say, no plan survives first contact with implementation. A minor slip-up almost cost him his life.
In Franklin’s words, “I inadvertently took the stored electricity through my own arms and body … My guests said that they saw a flash that was very great and crack sound as large as a pistol. Then I felt what I know not well how to describe; a universal blow throughout my whole body from head to foot, which seem as well as without”2.
It comes as no surprise that Benjamin Franklin was the first to speculate that the effect of being struck by a lightning bolt might be approximated by wiring up a few Leyden jars.
In another attempt, they really did pull it off and electrocuted some Turkey to death, apparently, “the birds kill’d in this manner eat uncommonly tender.”.
December 1898: The Curies discover Radium for the first time.
Radium is a highly radioactive element and the heaviest known alkali earth metal. It was discovered for the first time on 21st December 1898 when Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie isolated radium-chloride from a uranium ore, pitchblende. It is a beautiful story indeed here is a summary:
Marie first began her work on radiation in a humble “gritty, brick-walled storage space” on the ground floor of the school her husband Pierre taught.
Two years earlier, Becquerel had discovered that Uranium had the ability to turn air into a conductor of electricity (ionization of air caused by radiation from Uranium). At first, he believed this property was exclusive to uranium alone and continued to theorize that uranium had the ability to emit what he termed “uranic rays”.
Further studies into this new property indicated that air could only carry a certain quantity of charge. It would eventually reach a “saturation point” and could carry no more charge.
But no one had yet quantified the amount of energy given off by uranium or whether other elements had that property. This, again, fell on the Curies.
The Curie’s first attempt was to gauge the amount of energy emitted by uranium. To do this, they built an “ionization chamber” from (among other things) leftovers of wooden grocery crates.
In essence, they placed two metallic circular plates3, one above the other at a separation of about 3 centimeters. On the lower plate, they placed a thin layer of the substance in question and then charged the lower plate with a high voltage battery. In theory, if the substance in question emitted “uranic rays” then it would conduct electricity through air and the upper place would become charged. The rate at which this happens was proportional to the energy emitted by the substance in question.
At first, Marie placed a sample of white uranium powder and measured its ionizing power. Then she began to test every other element and rock samples that she could find, scavenging laboratories, museums, mines, and other places with the occasional help from colleagues, chemists, and friends. Altogether, she tested over 13 elements including gold, copper, and silver, all of which gave off “no rays”.
Eventually, on February 17th, 1898, she tested a rock sample of a heavy, black pitchy mineral compound by the name Pitchblende. Pitchblende was a uranium ore mined in the Joachmsthal region on the German-Czech border. This particular rock sample produced a much stronger current than that of uranium sample alone, indicating that uranium is not the only source of radiation in this ore. Marie correctly theorized that there is another element within the ore that emitted rays as well thus accounting for the boost in electrical current.
This followed months of painstaking work to isolate the elusive element from Pitchblende, a task that culminated with the discovery of radium in December 18984.
Anyway, that’s my version of the summary of the story of radium, for the full story, I recommend Marie, A Life by Susan Quinn (This is NOT an affiliate link).
December 31st 1691: The death of Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle was an English scientist whose work touched on biology, physics, philosophy, chemistry, theology, and other fields I can’t mention them all. An excellent experimental scientist just like the Curies and Benjamin Franklin on this list. Regarded by many as one of the founders of modern chemistry, and one of the pioneers of the modern scientific experimental method.
In fact, he was so good that he may have influenced the great Isaac Newton toward his intellectual development.
High school chemistry and physics students may appreciate one of his empirical discoveries involving gases commonly referred to as Boyle’s law.
Born in a castle, son of the great earl of Cork, Robert Boyle received the best education from private tutors. At the age of 8 years old, he could speak both Latin and French. Keen on scientific research, he devoted most of his early years after college to his scientific pursuits.
He spent his later years living with his elder sister in Pall Mall until his death on 31st of December 1691.
This concludes my best events in the history of physics that happened in December. What did you like most? Let me know in the comments!
- I’m not saying he was careless, but rather a daunting individual. Someone who took risks as an experimental scientist that didn’t blend well with his established persona as a diplomat. He once chased a whirlwind all the way into the woods while striking his whip through it from the back of a horse – that’s Benjamin Franklin
- Stealing God’s Thunder: Benjamin Franklin’s Lightning Rod and the Invention of America
- The plates were 8 centimeters in diameter
- In the process, they also discovered another new element, Polonium in July 1898
