You searched for: “curie
curie, Ci
1. The basic unit of radioactivity.

Named after Marie Curie, it is equal to the radioactivity emitted by a gram of radium, or 37 billion disintegrations per second. The Three Mile Island nuclear accident released about 50 curies.

2. A former unit of radioactivity, equal to 3.7 x 1010 becquerels (radioactive disintegrations).

One gram of radium has a radioactivity of about one curie.

This entry is located in the following units: Measurements and Mathematics Terms (page 5) Ocean and Deep Sea Terms (page 2)