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Very Short Introductions #476
Isotopes: A Very Short Introduction
An isotope is a variant form of a chemical element, containing a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. Most elements exist as several isotopes. Many are stable while others are radioactive, and some may only exist fleetingly before decaying into other elements.
In this Very Short Introduction , Rob Ellam explains how isotopes have proved enormously important across all the sciences and in archaeology. Radioactive isotopes may be familiar from their use in nuclear weapons, nuclear power, and in medicine, as well as in carbon dating. They have been central to establishing the age of the Earth and the origins of the solar system. Combining previous and new research, Ellam provides an overview of the nature of stable and radioactive isotopes, and considers their wide range of modern applications.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
In this Very Short Introduction , Rob Ellam explains how isotopes have proved enormously important across all the sciences and in archaeology. Radioactive isotopes may be familiar from their use in nuclear weapons, nuclear power, and in medicine, as well as in carbon dating. They have been central to establishing the age of the Earth and the origins of the solar system. Combining previous and new research, Ellam provides an overview of the nature of stable and radioactive isotopes, and considers their wide range of modern applications.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
129 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 29, 2018
Chapter 1: Identical outsides… different insides
Chapter 2: Isotopic clocks: the persistence of carbon
Chapter 3: You are what you eat… plus a few per mil
Chapter 4: Measuring isotopes: counting the atoms
Chapter 5: Physics heal thyself: isotopes in medicine
Chapter 6: Measuring isotopes: mass spectrometers
Chapter 7: Reconstructing the past and weathering the future
Chapter 8: Scratching the surface with cosmogenic isotopes
Chapter 9: Uranium, thorium, and their daughters
Chapter 10: Probing the Earth with isotopes
Chapter 11: Cosmic stopped clocks
Chapter 2: Isotopic clocks: the persistence of carbon
Chapter 3: You are what you eat… plus a few per mil
Chapter 4: Measuring isotopes: counting the atoms
Chapter 5: Physics heal thyself: isotopes in medicine
Chapter 6: Measuring isotopes: mass spectrometers
Chapter 7: Reconstructing the past and weathering the future
Chapter 8: Scratching the surface with cosmogenic isotopes
Chapter 9: Uranium, thorium, and their daughters
Chapter 10: Probing the Earth with isotopes
Chapter 11: Cosmic stopped clocks
October 5, 2021
This Very Short Introduction introduces some concepts in nuclear and isotope physics. It is interesting how broad the phenomena and applications are that nuclear physics can describe, from describing the origin of all heavy elements to cancer therapy via radiation, from cosmogenic dating to decrypting food chains of animals or reconstructing climate change in history.
In some parts this was a good addition to a course on Advanced Physics of Nuclei and Isotopes that I attended. However, I skipped the last chapters as I had enough isotope talk in the last six months.
In some parts this was a good addition to a course on Advanced Physics of Nuclei and Isotopes that I attended. However, I skipped the last chapters as I had enough isotope talk in the last six months.
February 21, 2023
This was a really good book about a difficult subject. The author broke things down in a very simplistic manner and did a great job describing details. The opening chapters were particularly enjoyable: towards the end of the book the subject matter got fairly technical, but the author did a great job making it interesting and understandable.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews