Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A French physicist: Henri Becquerel was a French physicist who made a fundamental discovery in the field of radioactivity.
   • The discoverer of radioactivity: He is renowned for his 1896 discovery that uranium salts spontaneously emit radiation that can affect a photographic plate, even when not exposed to light.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Henri Becquerel shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre and Marie Curie.
  • The phenomenon discovered by Henri Becquerel was later named "radioactivity" by Marie Curie.
  • We studied the experiments of Henri Becquerel in our history of science class.

Advanced Usage

• "A Becquerel": The derived SI unit of radioactivity, named in his honor.
  • The radiation level was measured at 100 becquerels per cubic meter. (Note: When referring to the unit, "becquerel" is typically not capitalized.)

Variants and Related Words

• Becquerel (Bq) (n): The SI unit of radioactivity, equal to one disintegration per second.
• Becquerel rays (historical term, n): An early term for the radiation emitted by uranium, discovered by Becquerel.

Synonyms

• Scientist
• Physicist
• Discoverer of radioactivity (descriptive phrase)

Related Phrases

• Becquerel effect (n): A term sometimes used for the photovoltaic effect observed in certain electrolytes, also studied by members of the Becquerel family.
  • The experiment demonstrated the Becquerel effect.

Related Idioms

(This is a proper noun referring to a specific person; therefore, common idioms are not typically associated with it. The primary "idiomatic" usage is the application of his name to the unit of measurement.)

Noun

1. French physicist who discovered that rays emitted by uranium salts affect photographic plates (1852-1908)