A serendipitous discovery in nuclear physics has led to a useful tool in materials science. In the late 1950s, scientists at General Electric (among them the author) discovered that when mica is exposed to energetic charged particles (such as are emitted in radioactive decay or occur in cosmic rays), the particles leave latent tracks in the material. When such a material is chemically etched, the tracks are revealed as narrow, deep pits, whose size and shape is determined both by the particle that made the track and by the technique used in etching. It soon turned out that glass, plastics, or...
A serendipitous discovery in nuclear physics has led to a useful tool in materials science. In the late 1950s, scientists at General Electric (among t...
An intermetallic compound is one consisting of two or more metallic elements present in definite proportions in alloy. They are used in a wide range of industries such as semiconductors and the aerospace industry. Thousands of tons of the nickel aluminum alloy are used worldwide every year.
An intermetallic compound is one consisting of two or more metallic elements present in definite proportions in alloy. They are used in a wide range o...
