What is the role of Science in Society? Objectives: 1. Identify and analyze ways advances in Science effect Society. 2. Examine Ethics in Science in the political climate of World War 2.

Case Study: The Development and Use of the Atomic Bomb in WW2: Einstein and Szilard

Einstein is known world-wide. Answer these questions on your paper. 1. Was Einstein a mathematician or a scientist? 2. What is he famous for? 3. What facts do you know about him?

Albert Einstein "Concern for man himself must always constitute the chief objective of all technological effort -- in such a manner as to assure that the results of our scientific thinking may be a blessing to mankind, and not a curse.”

What was happening in the 1930s? In Science? In Society?

1930’s Economic Climate Worldwide Depression

What is an economic depression?

1933 Political Climate- Germany

How did Hitler come to power? What were his policies for Germany?

1930’s Science was atomic. German scientists were at the forefront of nuclear physics. The Allies feared that Germany could develop an atomic bomb and use it in World War 2.

German Scientists However, many German scientists were Jewish and left Germany because they had been fired from their jobs, their lives had been threatened, or they feared for their futures.

What were Hitler’s policies toward Jews in Germany?

Jewish Scientists leave Germany 1933 Law for the Restoration of Professional Civil Service. Out if not Aryan 1,600 scholars, 1/4 of physicists, 11 of whom won or would win a Nobel Prize Meitner The scientists who could have helped build the bomb left.

Germany- Stayed 1938 Hahn & Strassmann Split an atom of uranium, but did understand the full implications of the experiment.

Ex-German Scientists - Described the first nuclear atom smashing experiment in February It was called fission. Edward Teller-left H Bomb Heisenberg stayed Von Frisch- Jewish Fired left for Denmark Lise Meitner- Jewish Fired from University left for Sweden

An Aside…. Still in Germany- Heisenberg took the lead in fission research in Germany during the War. He was a prominent physicist whose interest was primarily in theoretical physics. Germany didn’t develop the Atomic Bomb. But who knew then? The fear was real. His role in Germany’s nuclear research is still controversial. Was he trying to sabotage the program? Incompetent? Doomed from lack of resources? * Watch the movie “Copenhagen” for more.

Leo Szilard, with his friends Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller are concerned with the developments in German research. They are involved in and aware of current physics research in Europe.

“…In certain circumstances, it might be possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction, liberate energy on an industrial scale, and construct atomic bombs.” Szilard describes critical mass and a chain reaction that are possible with the German discovery.

Leo Szilard is the motivating force behind the U.S. starting the development of the atomic bomb. He worked on developing the bomb as part of the Manhattan Project.

Szilard, Wigner and Teller are concerned. How can they make the world notice? They are not famous, except as a scientists, and have no political influence. What can they do?

What would you do today to get a message out to the world? Write your answer on your paper.

Talk to Einstein. Einstein understands the politics of Germany and the physics of the bomb. He is the most famous scientist in the world.

In 1905 Albert Einstein discovered that a large amount of energy could be released from a small amount of matter. Special Theory of Relativity E=mc 2 Energy= mass X speed of light squared

Einstein the Pacifist Bombs were not on his mind in developing the Special Theory of Relativity, E=mc 2. Einstein considered himself a pacifist. He wouldn’t fight in a war no matter the cause of it.

”My pacifism is an instinctive feeling, a feeling that possesses me because the murder of men is disgusting."

Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921.In the early 1930’s he traveled and spoke for peace and disarmament. He had become a citizen of Austria since he disagreed with German military aggressiveness. * He received death threats starting in the 1920’s. * In 1933 when Hitler came to power, his house in Germany was attacked. He was traveling in the States and decided not to return to Germany. * Toured Europe. *Emigrated to the U.S. and Princeton University in 1934.

Position Change In 1933 the charismatic Hitler rose to power causing a great fear and hatred for him among the Jewish people including Einstein who changed his position on fighting. In 1938 Germany was able to split a uranium atom and was getting more aggressive. Physicists Leo Szilard,Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller became concerned with the recent aggression by Germany-- the invasion of Poland- but they had no influence with those in power. They consulted with Einstein. Szilard wrote a letter to Roosevelt. Einstein signed it. In the first letter--October Einstein stated the Germany is pursuing the interest of an A bomb and the U.S. should do the same.

Einstein’s Letter to Roosevelt- written by Szilard Roosevelt received the Letter from Einstein on October 11, 1939 from Alexander Sachs. After Roosevelt read the letter he assigned a committee of people to study uranium chain reactions.

The Briggs Committee FDR formed a committee to study uranium chain reactions after Germany invaded Poland in According to Leo, Eugene, and Einstein, progress was moving too slow. They wrote two more letters in March and April of The letters stated the interest Germany had taken in building a bomb, including the holding of uranium mines which is a fuel for atomic bombs.

Need for Greater Speed The British confirm that an atomic bomb could be built for war by Germany. Immediately following that report, the Briggs Committee accelerated the pace to create a bomb. In August of 1942, 10 months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Bomb project was established and called the Manhattan Project.

Einstein’s Greatest Impact Einstein did not work on the atomic bomb. People in the U.S. government didn’t trust him. The atomic bomb could have been built without the letters Einstein signed, but it was the US’s early work on the A Bomb that allowed its development. The Manhattan Project was formed.

The Result Nuclear Blasts over Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Effects of the Bomb Devastating Results:

Memories Einstein felt very guilty for what he endorsed after he saw the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He said “I made one of the worst mistakes in my life… when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made, but there was some justification-the danger that the Germans would make them.

Einstein

Sources a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen- US%3Aofficial&q=1933+germany&btnG=Search+Imageshttp://images.google.com.eg/images?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox- a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen- US%3Aofficial&q=1933+germany&btnG=Search+Images and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Einstein.htmlhttp://www-groups.dcs.st- and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Einstein.html pictures.htmhttp:// pictures.htm

Read Einstein’s first letter to FDR and answer the questions in complete sentences.