Matilda effect:
A systematic phenomenon by which the scientific contributions of women are minimized, denied, or attributed to their male colleagues. Named after Matilda Joslyn Gage, a 19th-century American suffragist.
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Key terms and concepts
Nuclear fission:
A physical phenomenon in which the nucleus of a heavy atom (such as uranium) splits into two lighter nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy and additional neutrons. Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch provided the explanation in 1938.
Learn more on WikipediaOtto Hahn:
German chemist and physicist (1879–1968) who collaborated with Lise Meitner for over 30 years. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alone in 1944 for the discovery of nuclear fission, even though Meitner provided the indispensable theoretical explanation.
Learn more on WikipediaRadioactivity:
Property of certain elements whose unstable atomic nuclei decay by emitting particles and energy (radiation). Discovered by Henri Becquerel, it was studied extensively by Marie Curie and later by Lise Meitner.
Learn more on WikipediaMeitnerium:
Synthetic chemical element number 109 (symbol Mt), named in honor of Lise Meitner, making her one of the few women to have an element on the periodic table named after her.
Learn more on WikipediaOtto Frisch:
Austro-British physicist (1904–1979), nephew of Lise Meitner. He collaborated with his aunt to theoretically explain Otto Hahn’s experimental results in December 1938 during a walk in the snow in Sweden.
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