Fermi, Enrico
Published: September 10, 2008, 2:11 pm
Updated: September 10, 2008, 2:11 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Tom Lawrence
Enrico Fermi.
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), an Italian-American physicist who played a key role in the development of the first atomic bomb. He was one of the leaders of the team of physicists on the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government's program to develop the atomic bomb. In 1926, Fermi discovered the statistical laws, now called Fermi-Dirac statistics, that govern the particles subject to the Pauli exclusion principle; such particles are called 'fermions' in Fermi's honor. Throughout his career, Fermi developed the mathematical statistics required to clarify a large class of subatomic phenomena, discovered neutron-induced radioactivity, and directed the first controlled chain reaction involving nuclear fission. This demonstration of nuclear fission took place in Chicago on December 2, 1942 in a volleyball field situated beneath the University of Chicago's sports stadium. Fermi was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics.
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Fermi, Enrico". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth September 10, 2008; Last revised Date September 10, 2008; Retrieved May 22, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fermi,_Enrico>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Enrico Fermi.
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), an Italian-American physicist who played a key role in the development of the first atomic bomb. He was one of the leaders of the team of physicists on the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government's program to develop the atomic bomb. In 1926, Fermi discovered the statistical laws, now called Fermi-Dirac statistics, that govern the particles subject to the Pauli exclusion principle; such particles are called 'fermions' in Fermi's honor. Throughout his career, Fermi developed the mathematical statistics required to clarify a large class of subatomic phenomena, discovered neutron-induced radioactivity, and directed the first controlled chain reaction involving nuclear fission. This demonstration of nuclear fission took place in Chicago on December 2, 1942 in a volleyball field situated beneath the University of Chicago's sports stadium. Fermi was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics.
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