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IMG_2891 - Coggle Diagram
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Austrian-Swedish physicist who co-discovered nuclear fission and advanced the field of nuclear physics.
🌱 Early Life
- Born November 7, 1878, in Vienna, Austria.
- Third of eight children in a Jewish family.
- Fascinated by mathematics and physics from a young age.
- Among the first women in Austria allowed to attend university lectures.
🎓 Education
- Studied under physicist Ludwig Boltzmann at the University of Vienna.
- Earned her Ph.D. in Physics in 1906 — one of the first women in Austria to do so.
- Moved to Berlin to study with Max Planck — became his first female student.
- Began collaborating with chemist Otto Hahn at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry.
🧪 Scientific Career
- Specialized in radioactivity and nuclear physics.
- Worked closely with Otto Hahn for over 30 years.
- Co-discovered the Auger effect (independently of Pierre Auger).
- Conducted neutron bombardment experiments on heavy elements such as uranium.
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⚙️ Methodologies
- Used neutron bombardment to create new isotopes.
- Measured radiation and decay rates using precise detection techniques.
- Combined chemistry and physics to interpret experimental results.
- Focused on theoretical understanding while colleagues handled lab work.
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🌍 Impact & Legacy
- Pioneered nuclear physics and radioactivity research.
- Her work made nuclear energy and isotope applications possible.
- Opposed the use of nuclear energy for weapons.
- Advocated for women in science.
- Remembered as "the mother of nuclear fission."
- Gravestone reads: "A physicist who never lost her humanity."
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📚 Sources
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- PBS Documentary: “The Path to Nuclear Fission: The Story of Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn”