Edoardo Amaldi facts for kids
Edoardo Amaldi (born September 5, 1908 – died December 5, 1989) was an important Italian physicist. He helped create the word "neutrino" when talking with Enrico Fermi. A neutrino is a tiny, very light particle. Amaldi was known as one of the top nuclear physicists of his time. He also worked to promote peace and stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
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Early Life and Studies
Edoardo Amaldi was born in Carpaneto Piacentino, Italy. His father, Ugo Amaldi, was a math professor. Edoardo studied physics at the Sapienza University of Rome. He worked closely with the famous physicist Enrico Fermi. Fermi was his main teacher and partner until 1938, when Fermi moved to the United States.
After World War II
After World War II, Amaldi became a professor at the Sapienza University of Rome. He helped rebuild the physics department there. He also helped start important science organizations. These included the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO).
Amaldi was also involved in the early days of CERN. CERN is a huge research center in Europe where scientists study tiny particles. He was its general secretary before it officially opened in 1954.
Scientific Discoveries
Amaldi made many important scientific discoveries. He worked with Fermi's group on slow neutrons. These are neutrons that move slowly and can be used to split atoms. He also found evidence for antiprotons. Antiprotons are like protons but have an opposite electric charge.
He wrote about 200 scientific papers. These papers covered many areas of physics. He wrote about atomic spectroscopy, which studies how light interacts with atoms. He also wrote about nuclear physics and elementary particles. Amaldi even wrote textbooks for students. He also wrote a book about his friend, Ettore Majorana, another physicist who mysteriously disappeared.
Awards and Recognition
Amaldi was recognized by many scientific groups around the world. He became a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1958. In 1961, he joined the American Philosophical Society. He also became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1962. In 1968, he was elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in the UK.
Edoardo Amaldi passed away on December 5, 1989. He was still very active in science at the time. He was the president of the Accademia dei Lincei, a famous Italian science academy.
To honor him, the European Space Agency named one of its supply spacecraft after him. It was called the Edoardo Amaldi ATV.
See also
- Via Panisperna boys
- I ragazzi di via Panisperna (movie)
