A theoretical investigation which Einstein published in 1917 provides a third conspicuous landmark. It connected up he two great landmarks already mentioned by showing that the disintegration of radioactive substances is governed by the same laws as the jumps of the kangaroo electrons in the theory of Bohr. In fact radioactive atoms were now seen merely to contain a special breed of kangaroos, much more energetic and ferocious than any that had hitherto been encountered.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Einstein connected radioactive decay laws to electron jumps. Atoms have energetic kangaroos inside.
- In plain terms
- Radioactive decay and electron jumps follow similar laws like energetic kangaroos.
- What can you take from it?
- Different phenomena might share the same underlying laws.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What other things might share the same laws?
- How do analogies help learning?
Another view
The kangaroo analogy is vivid but abstract.
More from James Jeans
a second conspicuous landmark... is the enunciation of the fundamental law of radioactive disintegration by Rutherford and Soddy in 1903. This law was in no se…
Permalink to quote #21 The laws which governed the spontaneous jumps of the kangaroos were shown to be of the somplest; out of any number of kangaroos a certain proportion always jum…
Permalink to quote #23 An extension of Plank's ideas, due to Prof. Niels Bohr of Copenhagen, went on to suggest that... the ultimate particles of matter would be seen to move not lik…
Permalink to quote #20
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