Table of Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………………. 2

Biography……………………………………………………….. 5

Timeline…………………………………………………………. 15

My figure’s influence on me………………………………….. 16

Interview………………………………………………………… 19

Presention………………………………………………………. 27

Reflection……………………………………………………….. 43

Bibliography……………………………………………………. 50

Appendix……………………………………………………….. 53

Introduction

Throughout history, there have been people who have influenced the way we live. Alfred Nobel is one of these people.

I chose to prepare this research project on Alfred Nobel for several reasons. To begin with, I wanted to know who the man behind the Nobel prizes is. in addition, I want to learn why the man who invited the dynamite that killed millions of people has a peace prize on his name.

There are a number of things that I already know about Alfred Nobel. Firstly, I know that he is the inventor of dynamite. In addition, I know that he was born and raised in Stockholm Sweden.

I expect to learn new and interesting things about Alfred Nobel. First and foremost, I expect to find out why did he invented dynamite.  Also, I want to learn about his childhood and his family. Finally, I would like to discover how did he got the best prizes in the world on his name.

Alfred Nobel has left his mark on the world. I am looking forward to finding more about him

Biography

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born on 21 October 1833 to Immanuel (a failed self-taught inventor and building contractor in Stockholm) and Andrietta (a gifted women daughter of an accountant. Immanuel and Andrietta got married in 1827 and for 5 years they were living in Stockholm under reasonable economic condition but in 1833 Immanuel went bankrupt so the family had to move to a smaller house and have a simpler life, in these years Immanuel was trying to start another business in Finland or Russia while Andrietta had to provide a modest income to the family by running a grocery store.  Andrietta and Immanuel had 4 children: Robert, Ludvig, Alfred and Emil moreover they had 2 more children that have died when they were babies.

When Alfred was nine years old his father established a factory for producing see mines for the Russian army, that have made the Nobel family very rich so any of the brothers could have afford to learn whatever he wanted so when Alfred was 17, he knew 5 language: Swedish, Russian, German, French and English after that he had an interest in 2 main subjects: since(chemistry, physics) and Literature especially in English literature but his father was looking for a  heir so he made Alfred learning chemistry he sent him for a 2 years long travel through Europe and united states he visited in Sweden, Germany, France and united states. First, he went to Paris, France there he was working at the private laboratory of professor T. J. pelouze (a famous chemist in that time) there he met Ascanio Sobrero – a young Italian chemist who 3 years before that he had synthesized the nitroglycerine (an unstable oily and very explosive heavy liquid compound).

after that he went to united states where he was working under the Marine Engineer john Ericson. In 1852 Alfred was asked to come back to Russia in order to help the family producing the mines during the Crimean war after the war the family business were in bed shape so Alfred his father Immanuel and his younger brother Emil return to Stockholm where they were having a series of experiments with nitroglycerine for making it safe and useful for the man kind , because of his instability chimes form during the experiments there were some explosions the worst was in September 3 , 1864 the explosion killed Alfred’s young brother Emil and some of the workers those experiments have made the Stockholm municipality to set a new rule that says its forbidden to have a nitroglycerin experiment inside the city.

After 4 years of research Alfred found out that in order to stabilize the nitroglycerin, he needed to add to the compound an inactive material such as carbon and sawdust. After he had discovered how to stabilize the nitroglycerin, he putted it in perforated cylinder made of Wax so it could be implanted in drilling holes. Alfred called his invasion dynamite from the Greek work dynamics which means power. In order to control the explosion timing Alfred invented the Explosive (little device contains the gunpowder, the explosive is remote controlled), Alfred wanted dynamite to be used for the men kind favor such as tunnel mining, rocks explosion, river sales and road making.

in 1867 he patented the dynamite stick. Moreover, during the years 1857-1897 he had patented 355 patents such as: ways for making a gunpowder(1863), Welding and soldering of metals(1894), Rocket device with engine(1896), measuring device for water and other liquids(1859), Method for producing sulfuric acid(1874), Apparatus for production of steam or distillation of liquids(1879), Apparatus for the concentrating of acids(1879), Method to decompose rocks by heat(1885), explosive(1893), Artificial rubber(1893), Improved method of making photographic maps or measurements of land(1896). As the time passed the demand for his invasions increased what made him a very rich man, he had 90 factories and laboratories in 20 countries all over Europe

Alfred Nobel was a pacifist and resisted to wars when he invented the dynamite, he meant it to be used for the man kind favor not as a weapon in wars, not for killing people so when he discovered that people are buying dynamite for killing and not for good causes, he got into dispersion he felt like he is the reason for death of many men. Alfred has received a lot of criticism because of his deadly inventions, even when his brother died one of the French newspapers published a wrong message “the merchant of death is dead” about Alfred’s death

During Alfred’s last years he established a foundation called “Nobel prize” – a foundation that each year will give 5 identical financial prizes to people who have made an inflect for the better to the man kind in the past year. In the beginning there were 6 subjects for the prize: physics, chemistry, medicine, physiology, literature and peace. Today the prize stands for 900 thousand dollars almost million dollars. Alfred Bernhard Nobel died on December 10, 1896 in age of 63 by stroke, Alfred had no wife and no children when he died, when his family and friends opened his testament, they found out that he has left 94% of his fortune (500 million dollars) to the foundation. the first prizes were given in 1901 because of the family’s objection to their” little” part of the testament. One of the first winners were: Wilhelm roentgen who won physics Nobel prize for discovering the X rays that now called roentgen rays.

My figure’s influence on me

“Hope is the nature’s veil for hiding truth’s nakedness” / Alfred Nobel

I chose the quote that I felt is representing Alfred’s life the most the quote is “Hope is nature’s veil for hiding truth’s nakedness”.  Alfred Nobel is a very optimistic man who believed that when person need to choose between the good or the bad he will always choose the good that’s why he didn’t think about the consequences of his discovery of dynamite and what it might be used for while he was developing it  He had hope which stopped him from seeing the truth (what men will use the dynamite for). After he saw what his invention would be used for, he got into a depression which he could not overcome until his last day.

I have had many times that I preferred to see the hope and not the truth like while I was training and competing in Judo since I was 6 years old I would try every year to get stronger , better and less stressed but I have always lost , since 2016 when I  first won a medal in the national championship I never wo a medal again and after the compotation I was always telling myself you are not good enough , you are not strong enough and you should quit but my coach always told me I am good and I should only work harder but I knew I am not good in Judo but I was telling myself this year I am going to win it every single year it’s like the hope I won stops me to see that I will never win that’s why I chose this quote it’s the one that talk to me the most.

Interview

The moment I heard that during the project process I need to interview a person who has knowledge about Alfred Nobel, I knew I will interview a chemistry teacher so I tried to reach chemistry teachers all over the country and finally I reached “Moshe Weizman” a chemistry teacher in Hashmonaim school in Bat Yam. He has been teaching in this schools and many more schools as Ort Rabin in Gan Yavne, in Eilat and in Ashelim school in Rishon Letzion for 28 years. He had his bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv university and his master’s degree from Weizmann Institute for science.

I chose him for several reasons. firstly, he teaches in my cousin’s school and I have got a great recommendation about him.

Secondly, he is one of the best chemistry teachers in the country and during his all 28 years of teaching no student has ever failed in the chemistry Bagrut exam. he also has a website with exercises and summaries of the whole material.

The interview

How did you get to know Alfred Nobel?

During my studies to the master’s degree on Weitzman institute I learned about Alfred Nobel’s work and his chemical formulas that led him to many of his inventions such as: gun powder and sulfuric acid production. In my final course project was to choose one of Alfred Nobel’s chemical formula and explain it chemically and redeveloping it. So, in the project we needed to make a biography about him just as you do now.

Would you call Alfred Nobel a revolutionary person?

yes, but not because of the dynamite he invented so much more like sulfuric acid production and devices for production of steam or distillation of liquids things that developed the science and especially the chemistry. he found many methods for many things like the method to decompose rocks by heat and method.

Why couldn’t Alfred Nobel couldn’t see what does the dynamite would be used for?

Alfred Nobel wanted to change the world for the better. He invented the dynamite because of good reasons such as tunnel mining and roads construction. he didn’t imagine that it can be used for killing. something similar happened to me in 1986 I was working in a lab with a team that tried to develop a cure for    rabies in order to cure dogs, foxes and jackals but the team were closed because some of the cure chemicals that we added were toxic to dogs.

Alfred Nobel had 355 patents which most of them were about weapons. why do you think that after he got into depression because of the use off the dynamite to kill he kept developing weapons?

I think that the he continued to make weapons because of the money. its known that armies are ready to pay good money.

What mark did Alfred Nobel leave on the world?

In my opinion Alfred Nobel has left bad mark on the world but it didn’t come from bad causes. he always tried to make the world a better place even when he invented the dynamite it was directed for solving neutral problems, after he understood what does his invention was using for, he tried to making it up by establishing a foundation that will promote peace and science of all kinds. but in my opinion, he caused much worse than good.

When Alfred Nobel’s big brother died a French newspaper published “the death trader has passed away” like Alfred was the one who died. do you think that Alfred deserved to be called such kind of name?                                                   I think he deserved these kin of name because he invented a killing device that have killed probably a billion people until today but I think that this wrong message is one of the reasons he established the Nobel prize foundation.

What influence does the Nobel prize foundation have on the world?

This foundation is Alfred Nobel’s best invention because it put a limit and men kind “has to cross”, to achieve what other cant. millions of children are signing to science classes and learn it in their free time because they want to achieve what other can’t, even my students (in ages 17 -18) tells me that they want to win a Nobel prize; the desire for being the best a makes us be better people. It all depends in the requirements and there will be always the people who will do everything to get it.

Can you give me an example of Nobel prize winners that inspired you?

Since 2018 every new year I present myself to my students and then I tell them how progress men kind have made in the past century. 123 years ago, we didn’t know that electrons are exist and now we can see them. it always amazes me because it seems that each year, we stretch a little more the limit of the human ability. And I tell them that every breakthrough starts with a little kid with a dream. So, the Nobel prize winners that inspired me are Richard Henderson, Joachim Frank and Jacques Dubochet who have won 2017 chemistry Nobel prize for developing camera that can take a picture of the electrons.

Do you think that Alfred Nobel deserves to have peace prize on his name?

I know Alfred Nobel was a good man, he had no intent to invent a killing device. and as I say before he has done worse than good but I understand the idea of it. Because Nobel prize represent the top of people and as the physics and chemistry in peace in particular, we need the best people. I think it’s good they have called the peace prize like that.

Presentaion

Reflaction

I found the preparation of this project worthwhile for several reasons. Firstly, I understand the subject much better than before I started working on the project.  before the project, I only knew that Alfred Nobel was the man who established the Nobel prize foundation. however, after doing the project I learned so much more about him. In addition, the preparation of the project showed me that there is no good or bad person there is person who go wherever life leads him.

I learnt many things while working on the project. The most important thing that I have learned is how to make a research project and describe the process of it in a document this will make my future research projects way easier. Another thing that I have learned is how to make an appropriate interview and what question to ask.

I developed a number of skills during my work on this project such as making a summary from many sources of information. For example, in this project I needed to write a biography on Alfred Nobel and I combined the information from Wikipedia, The Nobel prize web and Davidson’s facility. This is a very important skill that I will probably use a lot in English and Hebrew. Another skill I developed during this project is time management, I made this project under pressure and I had deadlines for each section so I had to manage my time properly so I would have time for everything.

I enjoyed working alone for number of reasons. Firstly, usually when I do project in a group there are always fights about who will do what part I prefer do the all work by myself then fight with my friends. Secondly, I enjoy working alone because I get all the choices by myself and I don’t need to consider anyone else opinion.

On the one hand, there were things I enjoyed while preparing this project.  The part that I enjoyed the most is the “Our figures influence on me” section because in this part I felt like I really could understand Alfred and the reasons he did everything he did start from the dynamite invention to establishing the Nobel prize foundation. Moreover, I liked the presentation and especially the debate because almost everybody had a different opinion and each of them saw Alfred Nobel in a different light.

On the other hand, there were things I enjoyed less while working on the project. One of the parts I enjoyed less is the biography writing which was hard and took long time to write. However, I understood that I had to do it so I could Alfred Nobel better. Another part I enjoyed less is finding a knowledgeable person to interview. At first, I planned to interview the chemistry teacher that I had last year but it turned up that she left the school so I started sending emails to the Nobel prize foundation, looking in google for chemistry teacher’s phone numbers and asking everyone I know for someone he knows who knows chemistry until I finally found a chemistry teacher to interview.

In conclusion, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to prepare this project. This project gave me many skills and knowledge that I will for sure use in the future and I also had fun while I prepared this project. I want to thank you Miriam for guiding me and helping me in this project.

Bibloigraphy

During the preparation of this project, I have used many sources of information some digital and some physical.

Digital sources   

• The Nobel prize website – Alfred Nobel’s life – NobelPrize.org
• Alfred Nobel Wikipedia – Alfred Nobel – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Alfred Nobel’s patents – Alfred Nobel’s patents – NobelPrize.org
• Nitroglycerin Wikipedia – Ni troglycerin – Wikipedia

• Alfred Nobel’s quote – Alfred Nobel Quotes – BrainyQuote
• Immanuel Nobel –Immanuel Nobel – NobelPrize.org
• Anrietta Nobel – Andriette Nobel – NobelPrize.org
• Alfred Nobel last will – Full text of Alfred Nobel’s will – NobelPrize.org
• Alfred Nobel YouTube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZLK_J2NfX0

• All Nobel prize winners – All Nobel Prizes
• Moshe Weitzman’s website and biography – https://katzr.net/f45076
• “machon Davidson” –machon davidson

Physical sources

• Moshe Weitzman as interviewee
• Miriam duanis as a project guide

Appendix

ENGLISH PROJECT

TOPIC :  “PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE”

DUE DATE:  JANUARY 1^ST.

Throughout history, there have been people who have influenced the way we live and who left their mark on the world.  What would our world look like today without famous figures such as Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg or Christopher Columbus?

In this project, you are going to choose a famous personality who has left a mark on the world and who you are interested in finding more about.

You will gather information and do research in order to prepare your project.

You can prepare your project alone or in groups of two or three.

Your project will be typed and organized in the following way:

1) THE COVER PAGE

It will state the name of the figure you have chosen. You should include a picture.  You will list the names of the people in your group, the name of your teacher and the date on which you submit the project.  The cover page should be prepared in a neat and aesthetic way.

2)   TABLE OF CONTENTS

You will prepare this page after you have completed the project.  Next to each unit, you MUST write the member of the group who was responsible for its preparation. (See the example below.)

3)  INTRODUCTION

In this section you will do the following..

(a) explain why you chose this figure

(b) explain what you already know about this figure

(c) explain what you expect to learn.

Each member of the group must prepare his/her own introduction on a separate page in which his/her thoughts are expressed.  This must be written in paragraphs, with an introduction, body and conclusion.  Use the following structure.

4)  BIOGRAPHY

In this section, you will write the BIOGRAPHY of the person you have chosen.  A biography is the story of a person’s life.  This story should include the important events in the person’s life beginning with his or her birth and include information about the early life, family, education, what inspired him or her to make their mark on the world, his or her achievements, how he or she contributed to our society, ending with their death (if applicable).  The Biography should be at least two pages long.

All the sources you use MUST be recorded in the BIBLIOGRAPHY section of your project, SO DON’T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR SOURCES AS YOU WORK !!!!

5) MY/OUR FIGURE’S INFLUENCE ON ME/US

In this section, you will look for a famous quotation that your figure said (or that was said about him or her) and that you connect to. Print a colored picture (A4 size) of your figure.  Prepare a “bubble” of the famous saying of your figure that you especially connect to and print it as well.  We will hang both the picture and quotation on the wall of your classroom.

6)  INTERVIEW

In this section you will meet with a person who can enlighten you with their opinions, thoughts and knowledge regarding this figure. This person MUST be knowledgeable regarding your subject. You will write an introduction in which you explain…

(a)  who you are interviewing

(b)  why you decided to interview this person.

Then you will then write out the questions and answers in the following manner:

Q: …………………………………………………………………………….?

A: ……………………………………………………………………………..?

You can ask as many Yes-No questions as you wish, however, you must make sure that you have at least 8 WH questions.  You can include a photo of this event. Use the following structure.

7) PRESENTATION

In this section you will make this person better known among your classmates by preparing a presentation for them.   This presentation should be approximately 10 minutes long.  You will give a lecture to the class in which you will tell about the major events in your figure’s life, how he or she contributed to society and why you chose to do your project on this person.  You can prepare a poster or a power point presentation with the main events in your figure’s life as a visual aid.

8) REFLECTIVE WRITING

This is the final section of our project.  In this section you will reflect upon all the work you have done and prepare a reflection.  In this section you will work together and do the following.

(a) express your feelings about the project

(b) express your feelings  about working together in a group

(c) express your feelings about what you learnt

(d) describe what you enjoyed more and enjoyed less.

Use the following structure to prepare the Reflection.

9) BIBLIOGRAPHY

In this section you will list the sources you used. You will number each source separately, giving the name of the book, the name of the author, and the name of the publisher. If you have used an Internet source, then give the site and the name of the article.  You MUST have at least THREE sources.

10) APPENDIX

This is the section in which you put all the material that you used to prepare your project. You must include…

a) the drafts of your work with my corrections.

b) material and photos that you didn’t put into the body of the project but that you want to include.

I hope that you will enjoy working on this project.  I am sure that I will enjoy reading it!!

in the appendix i wanted to show all the pictures that i found but couldn’t put with all the project.

here are the pictures: