Show discovery of radium revealed that atom was shattered with explosive violence the discovery of radium and the phenomenon of radioactivity radio activity turned the course of history for twentieth century ph physics ysias writes john A maloney in the scientific american with its discovery came cam e the knowledge that the atoms of certain heavy elements were na not t permanently stable but broke up with explosive violence the inner st structure of the atom which had defied the mind of man since the days of the atomists ato mists in ancient greece the discovery of isotopic elements elements identical in their physical an and d chemical makeup but differing in their atomic weights weigh ts these and many other secrets of matter were solved by the discovery of radium men were excited about the possibilities ties of this new substance the energy that it gave 0 off ff was staggering to the imagination it was natural that the question should arise as to how this energy could be harnessed harries sed and put to work flannery and the others t thrilled with the pos possibilities ties were not such eminent physicists as sir ernest rutherford herford writing A essays on barbut harnessing the energy of radium and its future as a source of power all of these men realized that what was needed was a that would speed up the rate of disintegration ot of radium so that in instead of dissipating half of its energy in 1690 years its power could be drawn off to turn a dynamo or P push ush a piston in an instant it may appear now that they were anticipating and were far ahead of their times |