noun
- A synthetic radioactive chemical element with atomic number 100, produced artificially in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators.
Usage: chemistry; physics; symbol: Fm
Examples
- Fermium was first discovered in 1952 in the debris of a hydrogen bomb explosion.
- The element fermium is named after physicist Enrico Fermi.
- Fermium is highly radioactive and has a very short half-life.
- Scientists study fermium to understand the properties of heavy synthetic elements.
- Fermium cannot be found in nature and must be created in laboratories.