Henri Becquerel

1
Henri Becquerel

• Born December 15,1852
• Paris, France

2
Facts About Life

• In 1878 he was an Assistant at Museum of Natural
  History
• Awarded Half of Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903
• Did his experiments with supply of uranium salts
  that he inherited from his father

3
Accidental Discovery

• When Becquerel placed uranium salt in a desk
  drawer with a photographic plate, radiation from
  the uranium formed an image on the plate.
• This proved that radiation could occur without
  outside energy such as the sun
• When he placed metal between the uranium and
  photographic plates, the metal blocked the
  radiation

4
What He Discovered

• Discovered natural radiation
• Discovered that a magnetic field could block
  radiation
• Made these discoveries in March of 1896

5
Image Formedon a Photographic Plate

• Shown to the right is an image of
  Becquerel's photographic plate which has been
  fogged by exposure to radiation from uranium
  salts. The shadow of a metal Maltese Cross placed
  between the plate and the uranium salts is
  clearly visible.

6
Henri Becquerel

• Discovered radioactivity, the spontaneous
  emission of radiation by a material, in 1896