Historical Figures Codexery

Enrico Fermi

Architect of the nuclear age and the atomic bomb.

He won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation and for discovering nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons.[1] The Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi is credited with building Chicago Pile-1, the first artificial nuclear reactor ever created.[1] Fermi's abilities spanned both theoretical and experimental physics, a combination mastered by only a small number of physicists.[1]

Quick Facts

Born
29 September 1901
Birthplace
Rome, Italy
Died
28 November 1954
Place of death
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Citizenship
Italy; United States (nat., naturalized 1944)
Education
University of Pisa (grad., graduated 1922)
Spouse
Laura Capon (1928)
Children
2

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Fermi was born on 29 September 1901 in Rome, the third child of Alberto Fermi and Ida de Gattis.[2] He won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics at age 37.[3] During his childhood, Fermi and his brother Giulio had common pastimes, such as constructing electric motors and playing with mechanical and electrical toys.[4] Fermi completed his secondary education in July 1918, having advanced past the third year without taking it.[5]

In July 1922, Fermi turned in his thesis and, at age 20, was awarded his doctorate, which was notably early.[6] On 19 July 1928, Laura Capon and Enrico Fermi were married.[7]

What the cited sources add

The paper was received on May 9, 1922.[8] A 2007 article from The Energy From Thorium Foundation discusses neutron moderation, noting that atomic density affects the average distance traveled by a neutron during thermalization.[9] Fermi's paper titled "Concerning a contradiction between the electrodynamic and relativistic theory of electromagnetic mass" appeared in the journal Physikalische Zeitschrift in 1922.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1938", The Nobel Foundation; "Enrico Fermi, architect of the nuclear age, dies", Autumn 1954; "Enrico Fermi Dead at 53; Architect of Atomic Bomb", The New York Times, 29 November 1954 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Portale Antenati", Portale Antenati; Segrè 1970, p. 3–4, 8; Amaldi 2001, p. 23 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cooper 1999, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cooper 1999, p. 19; "Atoms in the Family: My Life with Enrico Fermi", University of Chicago Press, 24 October 2014, p. 52; Segrè 1970, p. 3–4, 8; Fermi 1954, p. 15–16; "Maria Fermi Sacchetti (1899–1959)", www.OlgiateOlona26giugno1959.org (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Segrè 1970, p. 3–4, 8; Fermi 1954, p. 15–16; Segrè 1970, p. 3–4, 8; "Edizione Nazionale Mathematica Italiana – Giulio Pittarelli", Scuola Normale Superiore (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bonolis 2001, p. 315 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Enrico Fermi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Segrè 1970, p. 3–4, 8; Cooper 1999, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Über einen Widerspruch zwischen der elektrodynamischen und relativistischen Theorie der elektromagnetischen Masse", Physikalische Zeitschrift, p. 340–344. facts only, no text reused. en.wikisource.org
  9. "A Few Good Moderators: The Numbers", The Energy From Thorium Foundation, 13 February 2007. facts only, no text reused. energyfromthorium.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Enrico Fermi (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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