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Carl D. Anderson: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Carl D. Anderson, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• An equation implied a mirror electron — then it turned up in a cloud chamber

  In 1928, Paul Dirac's equation unifying quantum mechanics and relativity produced a strange extra solution: a particle identical to the electron but positively charged. Most physic…

  — Carl D. Anderson, The Positive Electron

• A physicist found a brand new particle nobody needed, and reacted with three words

  In 1936, Carl Anderson and Seth Neddermeyer found a particle in cosmic-ray tracks with a mass between the electron's and the proton's: the muon. It behaved almost exactly like a he…

  — Carl D. Anderson and Seth Neddermeyer, Muon

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