Henri bacquerels original hypothesis was that florescent minerals became excited by solar energy and gave off X-rays. However, after he discovered uranium minerals emitted their own radiation without the help of solar energy, he abandoned his hypothesis. Why did, Bacquerel abandon, his first hypothesis?

Question

Henri bacquerels original hypothesis was that florescent minerals became excited by solar energy and gave off X-rays. However, after he discovered uranium minerals emitted their own radiation without the help of solar energy, he abandoned his hypothesis. Why did, Bacquerel abandon, his first hypothesis?

A. He was afraid of ridicule from the scientific community for being wrong.
B. He found new evidence that didn't support his original hypothesis.
C. He couldn't repeat the results in multiple experiments.
D. He couldn't make the experiment work, so he came up with a new plan.
I believe the answer is B.
Thank you

Answer 1

he was afraid of ridicule from the scientific community for being wrong.

Answer 2

You're welcome! Yes, you are correct. Henri Becquerel abandoned his first hypothesis because he found new evidence that didn't support it. Specifically, after discovering that uranium minerals emitted their own radiation without the need for solar energy, he realized that his original hypothesis, which was based on the idea of minerals being excited by solar energy, did not align with the observed facts. Therefore, he had to reconsider his initial idea and develop a new understanding of radioactivity. So, the correct answer is B.