“We must not wait for things to come, believing that they are decided by destiny. If we want it, we must do something about it.” –Erwin Schrödinger. Erwin Schrödinger was a very influential physicist that made many scientific discoveries involving wave mechanics and various contributions pertaining to quantum theory (“Erwin”). Schrödinger’s life commenced August 12, 1887 in Vienna, Austria, and from there he led a very noteworthy childhood (Abbott 145). Throughout Erwin’s life, he conducted an exponential amount of research, experiments, and scientific discoveries that benefited society (“Stuewer”). Schrödinger’s childhood, scientific contributions, and immense impact on society, as well as the scientific community, explains why many people regard him as an extremely influential man and a prominent scientist. Erwin Schrödinger’s memorable life began in 1887, as the son of Rudolf and Georgine Schrödinger. This was the start of a very important physicist’s childhood. Schrödinger was introduced to the sciences at an early age, being that his father and grandfather studied chemistry (Abbott 145). Because of the scientific environment his family provided, he was later led to gain interest in the sciences himself. Schrödinger began his early education attending the Gymnasium, a secondary school where his academic interests ranged from science to ancient grammar. Here is where he learned the fundamentals of the scientific disciplines and subsequently resulted in his study of physics at the University of Vienna from 1906-1910 (“Erwin”). Proceeding his work at the University of Vienna, which laid the foundation for his future great discoveries, he took up an assistant position for Max Wien in 1920 (“Erwin”). Following that, he was promo... ... middle of paper ... ... Cited Abbott, David. The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, Physicists. New York: P. Bedrick, 1984. Print. “Erwin Schrodinger – Biography.” Nobelprize. Org. web 10 Jan 2011. Haselhurst, Geoff. “Quantum Physics: Erwin Schrodinger Wave Equations of Quantum Physics. Erwin Schrodinger Biography Quotes Pictures.” On Truth & Reality: Philosophy Physics Metaphysics of Space, Wave Structure of Matter. Famous Science Art Quotes. 1997. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. “Schrodinger, Erwin (1881-1961). “World of Scientific Discovery. Ed. Kimberly A. McGrath. Online ed. Detroit: Thomas Gale, 2006. Discovering Collection. Gale. St. Charles R-VI. Web 10 Jan. 2011. Stuewer, Roger H. “Schrodinger, Erwin (1887-1961).” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Suzanne M. Bourgoin. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.17 vols. Discovering Collection, Gale. St. Charles R-VI. Web. 10 Jan 2011.
"Paul David Buell." Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Max Planck Institute, n.d. Web.
physics. The work of Ernest Rutherford, H. G. J. Moseley, and Niels Bohr on atomic
The amazing transformation the study of physics underwent in the two decades following the turn of the 20th century is a well-known story. Physicists, on the verge of declaring the physical world “understood”, discovered that existing theories failed to describe the behavior of the atom. In a very short time, a more fundamental theory of the ...
During the crisis of modern science in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the postulates of early scientific discoveries had been refuted. In one of science’s most defining moments, an undisturbed photon of light was found to exhibit both wave-like and particulate qualities. The relationship between these two qualities would later be termed complementarity by Niels Bohr, one of the scientists at the forefront of this discovery. As Thomas S. Kuhn notes in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, “Before [the theory of quantum mechanics] was developed by Plank, Einstein, and others early in [the twentieth] century, physics texts taught that light was transverse wave motion” (12). So staggering was this discovery that in his autobiography, Albert Einstein recounts, “All my attempts to adapt the theoretical foundations of physics [to the new quantum knowns] failed completely. It was as if the ground had been pulled out from under one, with no firm foundation to be seen anywhere upon which one could have been built.” Not surprisingly, this arrest of the fundamental postulates of classical physics sparked a reevaluation of the “world view” by the ...
The idea of parallel realities has existed within the literary circle of science fiction for many years. One of the key concepts behind alternate dimensions is that with every action and decision - whether it is consciously made or not - another alternate dimension has the opposite action or decision made, and that there are subsequent realities created in which every other option exists uniquely. Ursula LeGuin's short story "Schrödinger's Cat" is a direct manifestation of the idea of paralleled realities in that the story deals with an experiment that spawns countless paralleled realities. Merely one of the skewed realities is overseen during the course of the narration. The Schrödinger "Gedankenexperiment" ("thinking experiment" in German) is a hypothetical situation in which a cat is placed in a sealed box with a gun and a photon emitter that has a fifty percent chance of firing the gun and killing the cat, and a fifty percent chance of not firing the gun and not killing the cat(2230). The possibility for other outcomes remains ever present, although infinitesimally slim with the percentage of anything else occurring. "We cannot predict the behavior of the photon, and thus, once it has behaved, we cannot predict the state of the system it has determined. We cannot predict it! God plays dice with the world!" (2230) The three characters who appear within "Schrödinger's Cat" act as the different variables within an experiment: the control; the dependent variable; and the independent variable. Each of these characters exists and does not exist within any reality and their existence (or lack of) is dependent upon time and which timeline they are involved i...
Young and ambitious, Haber eventually left his father and began his own career in research. In 1906, Haber was appointed Professor of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry and had begun his own Institute in Karlsruhe to study those topics. (Fritz Haber -
Quantum Mechanics developed over many decades beginning as a set of controversial mathematical explanations of experiments that the math of classical mechanics could not explain. It began in the turn of the 20th century, a separate mathematical revolution in physics that describes the motion of things at high speeds. The origins of Quantum Mechanics cannot be credited to any one scientists. Multiple scientists contributed to a foundation of three revolutionary principles that gradually gained acceptance and experiment verification from 1900-1930 (Coolman). Quantum Mechanics is
On August 1939, a German-American physicist named Albert Einstein sent a letter to U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt that described this discovery and warned of its potential development by other nations. This letter was written by Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller. Leo Szilard was a Hungarian American physicist. Eugene Wigner was a Hungarian American theoretical physicist and mathematician. Edward Telle...
A nobel prize winning, architect of the atomic bomb, and well-known theoretical physicist, Professor Richard P. Feynman, at the 1955 autumn meeting of the National Academy of science, addresses the importance of science and its impact on society. Feynman contends, although some people may think that scientists don't take social problems into their consideration, every now and then they think about them. However he concedes that, because social problems are more difficult than the scientific ones, scientist don’t spend too much time resolving them (1). Furthermore he states that scientist must be held responsible for the decisions they make today to protect the future generation; also they have to do their best, to learn as much as possible,
...at this book should be included with all works that hold a high literary merit. This book appeals to a wide scope of people; it relates the complicated aspects of physics in a manner that can be understood by much of the general public. More than that, this novel gives the reader a glimpse into Feynman himself. The reader can now see how he thinks and functions, additionally, it allows the reader to preview what it may have been like to be in one of Feynman’s classes. This man is considered a modern day genius, and just the chance to further see what he is actually like, is something that allows for this book to be valued more highly.
Cassidy, David Charles "Uncertainty: the life and science of Werner Heisenberg", New York 1992, W.H. Freeman and Company
Stemming from the first years of the 20th century, quantum mechanics has had a monumental influence on modern science. First explored by Max Planck in the 1900s, Einstein modified and applied much of the research in this field. This begs the question, “how did Einstein contribute to the development and research of quantum mechanics?” Before studying how Einstein’s research contributed to the development of quantum mechanics, it is important to examine the origins of the science itself. Einstein took much of Planck’s experimental “quantum theory” research and applied it in usable ways to existing science. He also greatly contributed to the establishment of the base for quantum mechanics research today. Along with establishing base research in the field, Einstein’s discoveries have been modified and updated to apply to our more advanced understanding of this science today. Einstein greatly contributed to the foundation of quantum mechanics through his research, and his theories and discoveries remain relevant to science even today.
Stephen Hawking has been hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein. Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, which as he likes to point out is the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. Hawking originally studied at Oxford University in England studying physics even though he would have preferred math. He moved onto Cambridge University to work on his PhD in cosmology. Hawking's career has focused upon the cosmic entities known as black holes, and has extended to specialized areas such as quantum gravity, particle physics, and supersymmetry.
Scientists from earlier times helped influence the discoveries that lead to the development of atomic energy. In the late 1800’s, Dalton created the Atomic Theory which explains atoms, elements and compounds (Henderson 1). This was important to the study of and understanding of atoms to future scientists. The Atomic Theory was a list of scientific laws regarding atoms and their potential abilities. Roentagen, used Dalton’s findings and discovered x-rays which could pass through solid objects (Henderson 1). Although he did not discover radiation from the x-rays, he did help lay the foundations for electromagnetic waves. Shortly after Roentagen’s findings, J.J. Thompson discovered the electron which was responsible for defining the atom’s characteristics (Henderson 2). The electron helped scientists uncover why an atom responds to reactions the way it does and how it received its “personality”. Dalton’s, Roentagen’s and Thompson’s findings helped guide other scientists to discovering the uses of atomic energy and reactions. Such applications were discovered in the early 1900’s by using Einstein’s equation, which stated that if a chain reaction occurred, cheap, reliable energy could b...
Of all the scientists to emerge from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries there is one whose name is known by almost all living people. While most of these do not understand this mans work, everyone knows that his impact on the world is astonishing.