MARRY GELL-MANN (b. 1929)
Murray Gell-Mann was born on September 15, 1929 in New York City, the youngest son of Austrian emigrants Arthur and Pauline (Reichstein) Gell-Mann. At the age of fifteen, Murray entered Yale University. He graduated in 1948 with a B.S. He spent subsequent years in graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here in 1951 Gell-Mann received his doctorate in physics.
LEV DAVIDOVICH LANDAU (1908—1968)
Lev Davidovich Landau was born on January 22, 1908 in the family of David Lyubov Landau in Baku. His father was a famous petroleum engineer! worked in local oil fields, and his mother was a doctor. She was engaged in physiological research. Landau's older sister became a chemical engineer.
IGOR VASILIEVICH KURCHATOV (1903—1960)
Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov was born on January 12, 1903 in the family of a forester's assistant in Bashkiria. In 1909, the family moved to Simbirsk. In 1912, the Kurchatovs moved to Simferopol. Here the boy enters the first grade of the gymnasium.
PAUL DIRAC (1902—1984)
English physicist Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was born on August 8, 1902 in Bristol, in the family of a native of Sweden, Charles Adrien Ladislaus Dirac, a French teacher at a private school, and an Englishwoman, Florence Hannah (Holten) Dirac.
WERNER HEISENBERG (1901—1976)
Werner Heisenberg was one of the youngest scientists to receive the Nobel Prize. His determination and strong competitive spirit inspired him to discover one of the most famous principles of science - the principle of uncertainty.
ENRICO FERMI (1901-1954)
“The great Italian physicist Enrico Fermi,” wrote Bruno Pontecorvo, “occupies a special place among modern scientists: in our time, when narrow specialization in scientific research has become typical, it is difficult to point out a physicist as universal as Fermi. One can even say that the appearance on the scientific arena of the 20th century of a person who made such a huge contribution to the development of theoretical physics, and experimental physics, and astronomy, and technical physics, is a unique phenomenon rather than rare.”
NIKOLAI NIKOLAEVICH SEMENOV (1896—1986)
Nikolai Nikolaevich Semenov was born on April 15, 1896 in Saratov, in the family of Nikolai Alexandrovich and Elena Dmitrievna Semenov. After graduating from a real school in Samara in 1913, he entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University, where, studying with the famous Russian physicist Abram Ioffe, he proved himself to be an active student.
IGOR EVGENIEVICH TAMM (1895—1971)
Igor Evgenievich was born on July 8, 1895 in Vladivostok into the family of Olga (née Davydova) Tamm and Evgeniy Tamm, a civil engineer. Evgeniy Fedorovich worked on the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Igor's father was not only a versatile engineer, but also an exceptionally courageous man. During the Jewish pogrom in Elizavetgrad, he alone went towards a crowd of Black Hundreds with a cane and dispersed it. Returning from distant lands with three-year-old Igor, the family traveled by sea through Japan to Odessa.
PETER LEONIDOVICH KAPITSA (1894—1984)
Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa was born on July 9, 1894 in Kronstadt in the family of a military engineer, General Leonid Petrovich Kapitsa, builder of the Kronstadt fortifications. He was an educated, intelligent man, a gifted engineer, who played an important role in the development of the Russian armed forces. Mother, Olga Ieronimovna, nee Stebnitskaya, was an educated woman. She was engaged in literature, teaching and social activities, leaving a mark on the history of Russian culture.
ERWIN SCHRODINGER (1887—1961)
Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger was born on August 12, 1887 in Vienna. His father, Rudolf Schrödinger, was the owner of an oilcloth factory, was fond of painting and had an interest in botany. The only child in the family, Erwin received his primary education at home. His first teacher was his father, who was later mentioned Schrödinger spoke of him as “a friend, a teacher and an interlocutor who never tires.” In 1898, Schrödinger entered the Academic Gymnasium, where he was the first student in Greek, Latin, classical literature, mathematics and physics. During his gymnasium years, Schrödinger developed a love for the theater.
NIELS BOR (1885—1962)
Einstein once said: “What is amazingly attractive about Bohr as a scientific thinker is his rare fusion of courage and caution; few people had such an ability to intuitively grasp the essence of hidden things, combining this with keen criticism. He is without a doubt one of the greatest scientific minds of our century."
MAX BORN (1882—1970)
His name is put on a par with such names as Planck and Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg. Born is rightfully considered one of the founders of quantum mechanics. He owns many fundamental works in the field of the theory of atomic structure, quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity.
ALBERT EINSTEIN (1879-1955)
His name is often heard in the most common vernacular. “There’s no smell of Einstein here”; “Wow Einstein”; “Yes, this is definitely not Einstein!” In his age, when science was more dominant than ever before, he stands apart, like a symbol of intellectual power. Sometimes the thought even appears that humanity is divided into two parts - Albert Einstein and the rest of the world.
ERNEST RUTHERFORD (1871-1937)
Ernest Rutherford was born on August 30, 1871 near the city of Nelson (New Zealand) in the family of an immigrant from Scotland. Ernest was the fourth of twelve children. His mother worked as a rural teacher. The father of the future scientist organized a woodworking enterprise. Under the guidance of his father, the boy received good training for work in the workshop, which later helped him in the design and construction of scientific equipment.
MARIE CURIE-SKLODOWSKA (1867-1934)
Maria Skłodowska was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw. She was the youngest of five children in the family of Władysław and Bronislawa Skłodowska. Maria was brought up in a family where science was respected. Her father taught physics at the gymnasium, and her mother, until she fell ill with tuberculosis, was the director of the gymnasium. Maria's mother died when the girl was eleven years old.
PETER NIKOLAEVICH LEBEDEV (1866—1912)
Pyotr Nikolaevich Lebedev was born on March 8, 1866 in Moscow, into a merchant family. His father worked as a trusted clerk and treated his work with real enthusiasm. In his eyes, the trading business was surrounded by an aura of significance and romance. He instilled the same attitude in his only son, and at first successfully In the first letter, an eight-year-old boy writes to his father, “Dear dad, are you healthy and are you trading well?”
MAX PLANCK (1858—1947)
German physicist Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was born on April 23, 1858 in the Prussian city of Kiel, in the family of Johann Julius Wilhelm von Planck, a professor of civil law, and Emma (nee Patzig) Planck. As a child, the boy learned to play the piano and organ, revealing extraordinary musical abilities. In 1867, the family moved to Munich, and there Planck entered the Royal Maximilian Classical Gymnasium, where an excellent mathematics teacher first aroused his interest in the natural and exact sciences.
HEINRICH RUDOLF HERZ (1857—1894)
There are not many discoveries in the history of science that we come into contact with every day. But without what Heinrich Hertz did, it is no longer possible to imagine modern life, since radio and television are a necessary part of our life, and he made a discovery precisely in this area.
JOSEPH THOMSON (1856-1940)
English physicist Joseph Thomson went down in the history of science as the man who discovered the electron. He once said: “Discoveries are due to the sharpness and power of observation, intuition, and unwavering enthusiasm until the final resolution of all the contradictions accompanying pioneer work.”
HENDRIK LORENZ (1853—1928)
Lorentz entered the history of physics as the creator of the electronic theory, in which he synthesized the ideas of field theory and atomism. Hendrik Anton Lorentz was born on July 15, 1853 in the Dutch city of Arnhem. At the age of six he went to school. In 1866, having graduated from school as the best student, Gendrik entered the third grade of the Higher Civil School, roughly equivalent to a gymnasium. His favorite subjects were physics and mathematics, and foreign languages. To study French and German, Lorenz went to churches and listened to sermons in these languages, although he had not believed in God since childhood.
WILHELM ROENTGEN (1845—1923)
In January 1896, a typhoon of newspaper reports about the sensational discovery of Würzburg University professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen swept over Europe and America. It seemed that there was no newspaper that would not print a photograph of a hand that, as it turned out later, belonged to Bertha Roentgen, the professor’s wife. And Professor Roentgen, locked in his laboratory, continued to intensively study the properties of the rays he had discovered. The discovery of X-rays gave impetus to new research. Their study led to new discoveries, one of which was the discovery of radioactivity.
LUDWIG BOLZMANN (1844—1906)
Ludwig Boltzmann was without a doubt the greatest scientist and thinker that Austria gave to the world. During his lifetime, Boltzmann, despite his position as an outcast in scientific circles, was recognized as a great scientist; he was invited to give lectures in many countries. And yet, some of his ideas remain a mystery even today. Boltzmann himself wrote about himself: “The idea that fills my mind and activity is the development of theory.” And Max Laue would later clarify this idea as follows: “His ideal was to unite all physical theories in a single picture of the world.”
ALEXANDER GRIGORIEVICH STOLETOV (1839—1896)
Alexander Grigorievich Stoletov was born on August 10, 1839 in the family of a poor Vladimir merchant. His father, Grigory Mikhailovich, owned a small grocery store and a leather workshop. There was a good library in the house, and Sasha, having learned to read at the age of four, began to use it early. At the age of five he could already read completely freely.
WILLARD GIBBS (1839-1903)
The mystery of Gibbs is not whether he was a misunderstood or unappreciated genius. Gibbs's mystery lies elsewhere: how did it happen that pragmatic America, during the reign of practicality, produced a great theorist? Before him, there was not a single theorist in America. However, there were almost no theorists after that. The vast majority of American scientists are experimentalists.
JAMES MAXWELL (1831-1879)
James Maxwell was born in Edinburgh on June 13, 1831. Soon after the boy was born, his parents took him to their Glenlair estate. From that time on, the “den in a narrow gorge” became firmly established in Maxwell’s life. His parents lived and died here, and he himself lived and was buried here for a long time.
HERMAN HELMHOLTZ (1821-1894)
Hermann Helmholtz is one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century. Physics, physiology, anatomy, psychology, mathematics... In each of these sciences, he made brilliant discoveries that brought him worldwide fame.
EMILY CHRISTIANOVICH LENZ (1804-1865)
Fundamental discoveries in the field of electrodynamics are associated with the name of Lenz. Along with this, the scientist is rightfully considered one of the founders of Russian geography. Emilius Christianovich Lenz was born on February 24, 1804 in Dorpat (now Tartu). In 1820 he graduated from high school and entered the University of Dorpat. Lenz began his independent scientific activity as a physicist on a round-the-world expedition on the sloop "Enterprise" (1823-1826), in which he was included on the recommendation of university professors. In a very short time, he, together with rector E.I. Parrotom created unique instruments for deep-sea oceanographic observations - a depth gauge winch and a bathometer. During his voyage, Lenz carried out oceanographic, meteorological and geophysical observations in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. In 1827, he processed the received data and analyzed it.
MICHAEL FARADAY (1791-1867)
Only discoveries that would be enough for a good dozen scientists to immortalize their name. Michael Faraday was born on September 22, 1791 in London, in one of its poorest quarters. His father was a blacksmith, and his mother was the daughter of a tenant farmer. The apartment in which the great scientist was born and spent the first years of his life was located in the backyard and was located above the stables.
GEORGE OM (1787—1854)
Professor of physics at the University of Munich E. Lommel spoke well about the significance of Ohm’s research at the opening of a monument to the scientist in 1895: “Ohm’s discovery was a bright torch that illuminated the area of electricity that was shrouded in darkness before him. Om pointed out) the only correct path through the impenetrable forest of incomprehensible facts. Remarkable advances in the development of electrical engineering, which we have observed with amazement in recent decades, could be achieved! only on the basis of Ohm's discovery. Only he is able to dominate the forces of nature and control them, who is able to unravel the laws of nature, Om wrested from nature the secret it had hidden for so long and handed it over to his contemporaries.”
HANS ERSTED (1777-1851)
“The learned Danish physicist, professor,” wrote Ampere, “with his great discovery paved a new path of research for physicists. These studies did not remain fruitless; they have led to the discovery of many facts worthy of the attention of all who are interested in progress.”
AMEDEO AVOGADRO (1776—1856)
Avogadro entered the history of physics as the author of one of the most important laws of molecular physics. Lorenzo Romano Amedeo Carlo Avogadro di Quaregna e di Cerreto was born on August 9, 1776 in Turin, the capital of the Italian province of Piedmont, in the family of a judicial employee, Filippo Avogadro. Amedeo was the third of eight children. Since the 12th century, his ancestors were lawyers in the service of the Catholic Church and, according to the tradition of that time, their professions and positions were inherited. When the time came to choose a profession, Amedeo also took up law. He quickly succeeded in this science and at the age of twenty received the degree of Doctor of Church Law.
ANDRE MARIE AMPERE (1775—1836)
The French scientist Ampere is known in the history of science mainly as the founder of electrodynamics. Meanwhile, he was a universal scientist, with merits in the fields of mathematics, chemistry, biology, and even linguistics and philosophy. He was a brilliant mind who amazed all the people who knew him closely with his encyclopedic knowledge.
CHARLES POULOMB (1736—1806)
To measure the forces acting between electric charges. Coulomb used the torsion balance he invented. The French physicist and engineer Charles Coulomb achieved brilliant scientific results. The laws of external friction, the law of torsion of elastic threads, the basic law of electrostatics, the law of interaction of magnetic poles - all this is included in the golden fund of science. “Coulomb field”, “Coulomb potential”, and finally, the name of the unit of electric charge “coulomb” is firmly established in physical terminology.
ISAAC NEWTON (1642—1726)
Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day 1642 in the village of Woolsthorpe in Lincolnshire. His father died before the birth of his son. Newton's mother, née Iscoffe, gave birth prematurely shortly after the death of her husband, and the newborn Isaac was amazingly small and frail. They thought that the baby would not survive Newton, however, he lived to a ripe old age and, with the exception of short-term disorders and one serious illness, was always in good health.
CHRISTIAN HUYGENS (1629-1695)
Operating principle of the anchor release mechanism. The running wheel (1) is untwisted by a spring (not shown in the figure). The anchor (2), connected to the pendulum (3), enters with the left pallet (4) between the teeth of the wheel. The pendulum swings in the other direction and the anchor releases the wheel. It only manages to turn one tooth, and the right flight (5) engages. Then everything is repeated in reverse order.
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
Blaise Pascal, son of Etienne Pascal and Antoinette née Begon, was born in Clermont on June 19, 1623. The entire Pascal family was distinguished by outstanding abilities. As for Blaise himself, from early childhood he showed signs of extraordinary mental development. In 1631, when little Pascal was eight years old, his father moved with all his children to Paris, selling his position, according to the custom of that time, and investing a significant part of his small capital in the Hotel de-Bill.
ARCHIMEDES (287 - 212 BC)
Archimedes was born in 287 BC in the Greek city of Syracuse, where he lived almost his entire life. His father was Phidias, the court astronomer of the ruler of the city of Hiero. Archimedes, like many other ancient Greek scientists, studied in Alexandria, where the rulers of Egypt, the Ptolemies, gathered the best Greek scientists and thinkers, and also founded the famous, largest library in the world.
The most outstanding discoveries of mankind in the field of physics
1. The law of falling bodies (1604)
Galileo Galilei disproved the nearly 2,000-year-old Aristotelian belief that heavy bodies fall faster than light ones by proving that all bodies fall at the same speed.
2. The law of universal gravitation (1666)
Isaac Newton comes to the conclusion that all objects in the Universe, from apples to planets, exert gravitational attraction (impact) on each other.
3. Laws of motion (1687)
Isaac Newton changes our understanding of the Universe by formulating three laws to describe the motion of objects.
1. A moving object remains in motion if an external force acts on it.
2. The relationship between the mass of the object (m), acceleration (a) and applied force (F) F = ma.
3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (reaction).
4. Second law of thermodynamics (1824 - 1850)
Scientists working to improve the efficiency of steam engines have developed a theory of understanding the conversion of heat into work. They proved that the flow of heat from higher to lower temperatures causes a locomotive (or other mechanism) to move, likening the process to the flow of water that turns a mill wheel.
Their work leads to three principles: heat flows are irreversible from a hot to a cold body, heat cannot be completely converted into other forms of energy, and systems become increasingly disorganized over time.
5. Electromagnetism (1807 - 1873)
Hans Christian Ested
Pioneering experiments revealed the connection between electricity and magnetism and codified them into a system of equations that expressed their fundamental laws.
In 1820, Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted tells students about the possibility that electricity and magnetism are related. During the lecture, an experiment shows the truth of his theory in front of the whole class.
6. Special theory of relativity (1905)
Albert Einstein rejects basic assumptions about time and space, describing how clocks run slower and distance becomes distorted as speed approaches the speed of light.
7. E = MC 2 (1905)
Or energy is equal to mass times the square of the speed of light. Albert Einstein's famous formula proves that mass and energy are different manifestations of the same thing, and that a very small amount of mass can be converted into a very large amount of energy. The deepest meaning of this discovery is that no object with any mass other than 0 can ever travel faster than the speed of light.
8. The Law of the Quantum Leap (1900 - 1935)
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The law to describe the behavior of subatomic particles was described by Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger. A quantum leap is defined as the change of an electron in an atom from one energy state to another. This change happens all at once, not gradually.
9. The nature of light (1704 - 1905)
The results of experiments by Isaac Newton, Thomas Young and Albert Einstein lead to an understanding of what light is, how it behaves, and how it is transmitted. Newton used a prism to separate white light into its component colors, and another prism mixed colored light into white, proving that colored light mixed to form white light. It was discovered that light is a wave, and that wavelength determines color. Finally, Einstein recognizes that light always moves at a constant speed, regardless of the speed of the meter.
10. Discovery of the neutron (1935)
James Chadwick discovered neutrons, which together with protons and electrons make up the atom of matter. This discovery significantly changed the model of the atom and accelerated a number of other discoveries in atomic physics.
11. Discovery of superconductors (1911 - 1986)
The unexpected discovery that some materials had no resistance to electric current at low temperatures promised a revolution in industry and technology. Superconductivity occurs in a wide variety of materials at low temperatures, including simple elements such as tin and aluminum, various metal alloys, and some ceramic compounds.
12. Discovery of quarks (1962)
Murray Gell-Mann proposed the existence of elementary particles that combine to form composite objects such as protons and neutrons. A quark has its own charge. Protons and neutrons contain three quarks.
13. Discovery of nuclear forces (1666 - 1957)
The discovery of the fundamental force operating at the subatomic level led to the understanding that all interactions in the Universe are the result of the four fundamental forces of nature - the strong and weak nuclear forces, electromagnetic forces and gravity.
All these discoveries were made by scientists who devoted their lives to science. At that time, it was impossible to hand over a custom MBA diploma for someone to write; only systematic work, perseverance, and enjoyment of their aspirations allowed them to become famous.
Where is my favorite scientist? He was way ahead of his time! Knew something that even Einstein didn’t know! Add Tesla!
Nikola Tesla (Serbian: Nikola Tesla; July 10, 1856, Smiljany, Austria-Hungary, now in Croatia - January 7, 1943, New York, USA) - American physicist, engineer, inventor in the field of electrical and radio engineering.
He is widely known for his scientific and revolutionary contribution to the study of the properties of electricity and magnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tesla's patents and theoretical work formed the basis for modern alternating current devices, multiphase systems and the electric motor, which enabled the second stage of the industrial revolution.
Contemporary biographers considered Tesla "the man who invented the 20th century" and "the 'patron saint' of modern electricity." After demonstrating radio and winning the Current Wars, Tesla was widely recognized as America's preeminent electrical engineer. Tesla's early work paved the way for modern electrical engineering, and his early discoveries were innovative. In the United States, Tesla's fame rivaled that of any inventor or scientist in history or popular culture.
Alternating current
Since 1889, Tesla began researching high frequency currents and high voltages. He invented the first samples of electromechanical HF generators (including inductor type) and a high-frequency transformer (Tesla transformer, 1891), thereby creating the prerequisites for the development of a new branch of electrical engineering - HF technology.
During his research on high-frequency currents, Tesla also paid attention to safety issues. Experimenting on his body, he studied the effect of alternating currents of various frequencies and strengths on the human body. Many rules first developed by Tesla have become part of modern safety principles when working with HF currents. He discovered that at a current frequency of over 700 cycles per second, the pain effect on the nerve endings ceases to be perceived. Electrical devices developed by Tesla for medical research have become widespread throughout the world.
Experiments with high-frequency high-voltage currents (up to 2 million volts) led the inventor to the discovery of a method for cleaning contaminated surfaces. Similar effects of currents on the skin have shown that in this way it is possible to remove small rashes, cleanse pores and kill germs. This method is used in modern electrotherapy.
Field theory
In 1888, Tesla (independently of G. Ferraris and somewhat earlier) gave a strict scientific description of the essence of the phenomenon of a rotating magnetic field. In the same year, Tesla received his major patents for the invention of polyphase electrical machines (including the asynchronous electric motor) and a system for transmitting electricity through polyphase alternating current. Using a two-phase system, which he considered the most economical, a number of industrial electrical installations were launched in the United States, including the Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station (1895), the largest in those years.
Tesla was one of the first to patent a method for reliably generating currents that could be used in radio communications. U.S. Patent Patent 447920 (English), issued in the USA on March 10, 1891, described the “Method of Operating Arc-Lamps”, in which an alternator produced high-frequency (by the standards of that time) current fluctuations of the order of 10,000 Hz The patented innovation was a method of suppressing the sound produced by an arc lamp under the influence of alternating or pulsating current, for which Tesla came up with the idea of using frequencies that are beyond the range of perception of human hearing. According to modern classification, the alternator operated in the range of very low radio frequencies.
Tesla demonstrating the principles of radio communication, 1891
In 1891, at a public lecture, he described and demonstrated the principles of radio communications. In 1893, he became closely involved in the issues of wireless communications and invented the mast antenna.
Resonance
Tesla coils are still used in some places to produce artificial lightning. In 1998, Stanford engineer Greg Ley demonstrated the “lightning on demand” effect to the public by standing in a metal cage under a giant Tesla circuit and controlling the lightning with a metal “magic wand.” He recently launched a fundraising campaign to build two more Tesla Towers somewhere in the southwestern United States. The project will cost $6 million. However, the lightning tamer hopes to recoup the costs by selling the plant to the Federal Aviation Administration. With its help, aviators will be able to study what happens to planes caught in a thunderstorm.
Wireless power transmission
One of the fundamental sciences of our planet is physics and its laws. Every day we take advantage of the benefits of scientific physicists who have been working for many years to make people's lives more comfortable and better. The existence of all humanity is built on the laws of physics, although we don’t think about it. Thanks to whom the lights are on in our homes, we can fly airplanes across the sky and sail across endless seas and oceans. We will talk about scientists who dedicated themselves to science. Who are the most famous physicists, whose work changed our lives forever. There are a huge number of great physicists in the history of mankind. We will tell you about seven of them.
Albert Einstein (Switzerland) (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein, one of the greatest physicists of mankind, was born on March 14, 1879 in the German city of Ulm. The great theoretical physicist can be called a man of peace; he had to live in difficult times for all mankind during two world wars and often moved from one country to another.
Einstein wrote more than 350 papers on physics. He is the creator of the special (1905) and general theories of relativity (1916), the principle of equivalence of mass and energy (1905). He developed many scientific theories: quantum photoelectric effect and quantum heat capacity. Together with Planck, he developed the foundations of quantum theory, which represents the basis of modern physics. Einstein has received a large number of awards for his works in the field of science. The crowning achievement of all awards is the Nobel Prize in Physics, received by Albert in 1921.
Nikola Tesla (Serbia) (1856-1943)
The famous physicist-inventor was born in the small village of Smilyan on July 10, 1856. Tesla's work was far ahead of the time in which the scientist lived. Nikola is called the father of modern electricity. He made many discoveries and inventions, receiving more than 300 patents for his creations in all the countries where he worked. Nikola Tesla was not only a theoretical physicist, but also a brilliant engineer who created and tested his inventions.
Tesla discovered alternating current, wireless transmission of energy, electricity, his work led to the discovery of X-rays, and created a machine that caused vibrations in the surface of the earth. Nikola predicted the advent of an era of robots capable of doing any job. Due to his extravagant behavior, he did not gain recognition during his lifetime, but without his work it is difficult to imagine the daily life of a modern person.
Isaac Newton (England) (1643-1727)
One of the fathers of classical physics was born on January 4, 1643 in the town of Woolsthorpe in Great Britain. He was first a member and later the head of the Royal Society of Great Britain. Isaac formed and proved the main laws of mechanics. He substantiated the movement of the planets of the solar system around the Sun, as well as the onset of ebbs and flows. Newton created the foundation for modern physical optics. From the huge list of works of the great scientist, physicist, mathematician and astronomer, two works stand out: one of which was written in 1687 and “Optics”, published in 1704. The pinnacle of his work is the law of universal gravitation, known even to a ten-year-old child.
Stephen Hawking (England)
The most famous physicist of our time appeared on our planet on January 8, 1942 in Oxford. Stephen Hawking received his education at Oxford and Cambridge, where he later taught, and also worked at the Canadian Institute of Theoretical Physics. The main works of his life are related to quantum gravity and cosmology.
Hawking explored the theory of the origin of the world due to the Big Bang. He developed a theory of the disappearance of black holes due to the phenomenon called Hawking radiation in his honor. Considered the founder of quantum cosmology. A member of the oldest scientific society that Newton belonged to, the Royal Society of London for many years, having joined it in 1974, he is considered one of the youngest members accepted into the society. He does his best to introduce his contemporaries to science through his books and participating in television programs.
Marie Curie-Skłodowska (Poland, France) (1867-1934)
The most famous female physicist was born on November 7, 1867 in Poland. She graduated from the prestigious Sorbonne University, where she studied physics and chemistry, and subsequently became the first female teacher in the history of her Alma mater. Together with her husband Pierre and the famous physicist Antoine Henri Becquerel, they studied the interaction of uranium salts and sunlight, and as a result of the experiments they received new radiation, which was called radioactivity. For this discovery, she and her colleagues received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Maria was a member of many scientific societies around the globe. She forever went down in history as the first person to receive the Nobel Prize in two categories: chemistry in 1911 and physics.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (Germany) (1845-1923)
Roentgen first saw our world in the city of Lennep, Germany on March 27, 1845. He taught at the University of Würzburg, where on November 8, 1985 he made a discovery that changed the life of all mankind forever. He managed to discover X-rays, which were later named X-rays in honor of the scientist. His discovery became the impetus for the emergence of a number of new trends in science. Wilhelm Conrad went down in history as the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Andrey Dmitrievich Sakharov (USSR, Russia)
On May 21, 1921, the future creator of the hydrogen bomb was born. Sakharov wrote many scientific papers on the topic of elementary particles and cosmology, magnetic hydrodynamics and astrophysics. But his main achievement is the creation of the hydrogen bomb. Sakharov was a brilliant physicist in the history of not only the vast country of the USSR, but also the world.
We present to your attention a list of scientists whose worldview was religious. To make the list more “reliable,” we tried our best to avoid including in it people whose worldview there is conflicting information, reports Pravoslavie.fm.
Physics
Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
Worldview. Catholic. He asserted that “Holy Scripture cannot in any case affirm a lie or be mistaken; his sayings are absolute and undeniably true.”
Contribution to science. Refuted Aristotelian physics. He was the first to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies. He laid the foundations of classical mechanics, basing it on the experimental method, for which he is often called the “father of modern physics.”
Edme Mariotte Edme Mariotte (1620 - 1684)
Worldview. Roman Catholic priest, abbot of the monastery of Saint-Martinsubon.
Contribution to science. One of the founders of the French Academy of Sciences. In 1660 he discovered the so-called. "blind spot" in the human eye. 17 years later, Boyle discovered the law of the relationship between the volume and elasticity of a gas. He developed the theory of impact in mechanics, and also created a ballistic pendulum. Contributed to the development of aerodynamic theory with considerations about the relationship between speed and drag.
Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)
Worldview. Catholic Jansenist. A religious philosopher, Pascal defended the Christian faith, argued with Descartes, argued with the atheists of his time, condemned the casuistry of the Jesuits, who justified the vices of high society (in “Letters to a Provincial”), and the author of numerous reflections on philosophical and religious topics. He wrote the work “Thoughts on Religion and Other Subjects,” a collection of ideas in defense of Christianity against criticism from atheists, which includes the famous “Pascal’s Wager.”
Contribution to science. He created a calculating machine-arphmometer. He experimentally refuted the prevailing axiom at that time, taken from Aristotle, that nature is “afraid of the void,” and at the same time formulated the basic law of hydrostatics. In correspondence with Fermat, he laid the foundations of probability theory. He is also at the origins of projective geometry and mathematical analysis.
Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)
Worldview. An Anglican, his views are close to the Arian heresy. Newton studied the Bible, and the volume of his texts on the study of Scripture exceeds the volume of scientific texts he wrote. Through his work, Principia Mathematica hoped to encourage thinking people to believe in God.
Pierre Louis de Maupertuis Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698 - 1759)
Worldview. Catholic, philosopher. Voltaire wrote many satires against him, for example, “Doctor Acacius, Papal Physician.” Before his death, the scientist admitted that Christianity “leads man to the greatest good through the greatest possible means.”
Contribution to science. He introduced the concept of the principle of least action into mechanics, and immediately pointed out its universal nature. He was a pioneer in genetics, in particular, some find that his views contributed to the development of the theory of evolution and natural selection.
Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani (1737 - 1798)
Worldview. Catholic. He studied theology, wanted to connect his life with the Church, but chose the path of science. His biographer, Professor Venturoli, speaks about Galvani’s deep religiosity. In 1801, another of his biographers, Alibert, writes about the scientist: “it can be added that in his public demonstrations, he never completed his lectures without calling on his listeners to renew their faith, always drawing their attention to the idea of an eternal Providence that develops, preserves and makes life flow among many other kinds of things.”
Contribution to science. One of the first to study electrophysiology and “animal electricity”. The phenomenon “galvanism” was named after him.
Alessandro Volta Alessandro Volta (1745 - 1827)
Worldview. Catholic. The dogmas, social life and rituals of the Roman Church formed a large part of Volta's life (culture). His best friends were the clergy. Volta remained close to his brothers, the canon and archdeacon, and was a churched man (practicing, in Catholic terminology). Examples of his religiosity include his flirtation with Jansenism in the 1790s and his 1815 confession of faith, written to defend religion against scientism. In 1794, Volta wrote several letters: to his brothers and to a professor of theology at the University of Pavia, in these letters he asked them for advice about his possible marriage.
Contribution to science. Physicist, invented the chemical battery in 1800. Discovered methane. Found ways to measure charge (Q) and potential (V). Created the world's first chemical current source.
André-Marie Ampère (1775 - 1836)
Worldview. Catholic. The scientist is credited with the following statement: “Study, explore earthly things - this is the duty of a man of science. Explore nature with one hand, and with the other, like a father’s robe, hold on to the hem of God’s robe.” At the age of 18, the scientist believed that there were three culminating moments in his life: “First Communion, reading Antoine Thomas’s eulogy to Descartes, and the storming of the Bastille.” When his wife died, Ampere wrote out two verses from the Psalms and the prayer “O Lord, Merciful God, unite me in Heaven with those whom you allowed me to love on Earth,” at that time he was overwhelmed by strong doubts, and in his free time the scientist read The Bible and the Fathers of the Church.
Contribution to science. Physicist and mathematician. In electrodynamics: he established a rule for determining the direction of action of a magnetic field on a magnetic needle (“Ampere’s rule”), discovered the influence of the Earth’s magnetic field on moving conductors with current, discovered the interaction between electric currents, and formulated the law of this phenomenon (“Ampere’s law”). Contributed to the development of the theory of magnetism: he discovered the magnetic effect of the solenoid. Ampere was also an inventor - it was he who invented the commutator and the electromagnetic telegraph. Ampere also contributed to chemistry through his joint work with Avogadro
Hans Christian Ørsted Hans Christian Ørsted (1777 - 1851)
Worldview. Lutheran (presumably). In his 1814 speech entitled “The Development of Science, Understood as the Task of Religion” (the scientist included this speech in his book The Soul in Nature), in it he writes that this speech includes many ideas that are more developed in other parts of the book, but here they are presented as a whole), Oersted states the following: “we will try to establish our conviction of the existing harmony between science and religion, by showing how a man of science should look at his studies, if he understands them correctly, viz. as the task of religion." What follows is a long discussion that can be found in the book.
Contribution to science. Physicist and chemist. Discovered that electric current creates a magnetic field. The first modern thinker to describe and name a thought experiment in detail. Oersted's work was an important step towards a unified concept of energy.
Michael Faraday Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867)
Worldview. Protestant, Church of Scotland. After his marriage, he served as a deacon and churchwarden in one of the meetinghouses of his youth, and researchers note that “a strong sense of harmony between God and nature permeated his entire life and work.”
Contribution to science. Contributed to electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Considered the best experimenter and one of the most influential scientists in the history of science. Discovered benzene. He noticed a phenomenon he called diamagnetism. Discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction. His invention of electromagnetic rotators served as the basis for the electric motor. Thanks also to his efforts, electricity began to be used in technology.
James Prescott Joule James Prescott Joule (1818 - 1889)
Worldview. Anglican (presumably). Joule wrote: “A phenomenon of nature, be it mechanical, chemical, life, almost completely transforms into itself over a long period of time. Thus, order is maintained and nothing is out of order, nothing is lost forever, but the whole mechanism, such as it is, works smoothly and harmoniously, all controlled by God's will. He was one of the scientists who signed the "Declaration of Students of Natural and Physical Sciences", written in response to the wave of Darwinism that came to England.
Contribution to science. Formulated the first law of thermodynamics, discovered Joule's Law of heat power when an electric current flows. He was the first to calculate the speed of gas molecules. Calculated the mechanical equivalent of heat.
Sir George Gabriel Stokes Sir George Gabriel Stokes (1819 - 1903)
Worldview. Anglican (presumably). In 1886, he became president of the Victoria Institute, whose goal was to respond to the evolutionary movement of the 60s; in 1891, Stokes gave a lecture at this institute; he was also president of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and was actively involved in missionary issues. Stokes said: “I know of no sound conclusions of science that would contradict the Christian religion.”
Contribution to science. Physicist and mathematician, author of the Stokes theorem, made significant contributions to the development of hydrodynamics, optics and mathematical physics.
William Thomson, Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824 - 1907)
Worldview. Presbyterian. Throughout his life he was a devout person, attending church every day. As can be seen from the scientist's speech at the Christian Evidence Society (an organization created to overcome atheism in Victorian society), Thompson believed that his faith helped him understand reality, informed him. In the broad sense of the word, the scientist was a creationist, but he was by no means a “flood geologist”; he could be said to support the view known as theistic evolution. He often openly disagreed with Charles Darwin's followers and entered into disputes with them.
Contribution to science. Mathematical physicist and engineer. Formulated the first and second laws of thermodynamics and helped unify the emerging disciplines in physics. He guessed that there was a lower temperature limit, absolute zero. He is also known as an inventor, author of about 70 patents.
James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879)
Worldview. Christian of evangelical faith. At the end of his life he became a churchwarden in the Church of Scotland. As a child, he attended services in both the Church of Scotland (his father's denomination) and the Episcopal Church (his mother's denomination), and in April 1853 the scientist converted to the evangelical faith, which is why he began to adhere to anti-positivist views.
Contribution to science. Physicist whose main achievement was the formulation of the classical theory of electromagnetism. Thus, he united previously disparate observations, experiments and equations in electricity, magnetism and optics into a single theory. Maxwell's equations show that electricity, magnetism and light are one and the same phenomenon. These achievements of his were called “the second greatest unification in physics” (after the work of Isaac Newton). The scientist also helped develop the Boltzmann-Maxwell distribution, which is a statistical means of describing certain aspects in the kinetic theory of gases. Maxwell is also known as the man who created the first durable color photograph in 1861.
Sir John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming (1849 - 1945)
Worldview. Congregationalist. Fleming was a creationist and rejected Darwin's ideas as atheistic (from Fleming's book Evolution or Creation?). In 1932, he helped found the Evolution Protest Movement. Fleming once preached "what is in the fields" at St. Martin's Church in London, and his sermon was dedicated to the evidence of the Resurrection. The scientist bequeathed most of his inheritance to Christian charitable organizations that helped the poor.
Contribution to science. Physicist and engineer. Considered the father of modern electrical engineering. Formulated two rules known to physics: left and right hands. Invented the so-called Fleming valve
Sir Joseph John Thomson Sir Joseph John Thomson (1856 - 1940)
Worldview. Anglican. Raymond Seager in his book J. J. Thomson, Anglican states the following: “As a professor, Thompson attended the Sunday evening service of the university chapel, and as head of the university, the morning service. Moreover, he took an interest in the Trinity Mission in Camberwell. Respectful of his personal religious life, Thompson consistently prayed every day and read the Bible before bed. He really was a believing Christian!”
Contribution to science. Physicist, discovered the electron and isotope. Winner of the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for “the discovery of the electron and services to theoretical and experimental studies of the conductivity of electricity in gases.” The scientist also invented the mass spectrometer, discovered the natural radioactivity of potassium, and showed that hydrogen has only one electron per atom, while previous theories allowed hydrogen to have many electrons.
Max Planck Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (1858 - 1947)
Worldview. Catholic (converted six months before his death), previously a deeply religious deist. In his work “Religion and Natural Science,” the scientist wrote (the quote is given with context, from the beginning of the paragraph: “With such a coincidence, one should, however, pay attention to one fundamental difference. God is given to a religious person directly and primarily. From Him, His omnipotent will comes all life and all phenomena of both the physical and spiritual world. Although He is unknowable by reason, He nevertheless directly manifests Himself through religious symbols, putting His holy message into the souls of those who, by faith, trust Him. for the natural scientist, only the content of his perceptions and the measurements derived from them are primary. Hence, through inductive ascent, he tries to get as close as possible to God and His world order as the highest, eternally unattainable goal. Therefore, both religion and natural science need faith in God. In this regard, for religion God stands at the beginning of all thinking, and for natural science - at the end.”
Contribution to science. The founder of quantum physics, which is why he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Formulated Planck's postulate (dark body radiation), an expression for the spectral power density of black body radiation.
Pierre Maurice Marie Duhem (1861 - 1916)
Worldview. Catholic. He often argued with Marcel over religious issues. D. OConnor and E. Robinson in their biography of Duhem argue that his religious views played a large role in determining his scientific views. The scientist also studied the philosophy of science, in his main work he showed that since 1200 science had not been ignored, and that the Roman Catholic Church had encouraged the development of Western science.
Contribution to science. Known for his work on thermodynamics (Gibbs-Duhem relation, Duhem-Margules equation), he also contributed to hydrodynamics and the theory of elasticity.
Sir William Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg (1890 - 1971)
Worldview. Anglican (possibly Anglo-Catholic). Bragg’s daughter wrote about the scientist’s faith: “For W. Bragg, religious faith was the willingness to bet everything on the hypothesis that Jesus Christ was right, and to test this by the experiment of performing a lifelong work of mercy. Reading the Bible was mandatory. Bragg often said that "if I have any style of writing at all, it is due to the fact that I was brought up on the Authorized Version [of the Bible]." He knew the Bible and could usually rattle off “chapter or verse.” Young Professor W. Bragg became churchwarden at St. John's in Adelaide. He also received permission to preach."
Contribution to science. Physicist, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1915 for "services to the study of crystals using x-rays." Bragg also created the first instrument for recording diffraction patterns. Together with his son, he developed the basics of a method for determining the structure of crystals from the diffraction pattern of X-rays.
Arthur Holly Compton Arthur Holly Compton (1892 - 1962)
Worldview. Presbyterian. Raymond Seeger, in his article “Compton, Christian Humanist,” published in The Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, writes the following: “As Arthur Compton grew older, so did his horizons, but it was always a clear Christian view of the world. . Throughout his life, the scientist was active in church affairs, from teaching Sunday school and serving as a church warden to positions on the Presbyterian Board of Education. Compton believed that humanity's fundamental problem, the inspiring meaning of life, lay outside science. According to a 1936 Times magazine report, the scientist was briefly a deacon in the Baptist Church.
Contribution to science. The physicist was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1927 for his discovery of the Compton effect. Invented a method for demonstrating the rotation of the Earth.
Georges Lemaître Monseigneur Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître (1894 - 1966)
Worldview. Catholic priest (since 1923). Lemaitre believed that faith could be an advantage for a scientist: “As science passes through the mere stage of description, it becomes true science. She also becomes more religious. Mathematicians, astronomers and physicists, for example, are very religious people, with few exceptions. The deeper they penetrate into the mystery of the Universe, the deeper becomes their conviction that the force behind the stars, electrons and atoms is law and goodness.”
Contribution to science. A cosmologist, the author of the theory of the expanding Universe, Lemaitre was the first to formulate the relationship between the distance and speed of galaxies and proposed in 1927 the first estimate of the coefficient of this relationship, now known as the Hubble constant. Lemaitre's theory of the evolution of the world from the "primordial atom" was ironically called the "Big Bang" by Fred Hoyle in 1949. This name, "Big Bang", has historically been fixed in cosmology.
Werner Karl Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg (1901 - 1976)
Worldview. A Lutheran, although towards the end of his life he was considered a mystic, since his views on religion were not orthodox. The author of the saying: “The first sip from the glass of natural science is taken by an atheist, but God awaits at the bottom of the glass.”
Contribution to science. Winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize for the creation of quantum mechanics. In 1927, the scientist published his uncertainty principle, which brought him worldwide fame.
Sir Neville Mott Sir Nevill Francis Mott (1905 - 1996)
Worldview. Christian. Here is the scientist’s statement: “I believe in God, who can answer prayers, in whom we can trust, and without whom life on Earth would be meaningless (a fairy tale told by a madman). I believe that God has revealed Himself to us in many ways, through many men and women, and for us in the West the clearest revelation is through Jesus Christ and those who followed him.”
Contribution to science. In 1977 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his “fundamental theoretical studies of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems.”
Nikolai Nikolaevich Bogolyubov (1909 - 1992)
Worldview. Orthodox. A. Bogolyubov writes about him: “The entire body of his knowledge was a single whole, and the basis of his philosophy was his deep religiosity (he said that non-religious physicists can be counted on one hand). He was a son of the Orthodox Church and whenever time and health allowed him, he went to vespers and mass at the nearest church.”
Contribution to science. He proved the theorem “about the sharpness of the wedge” and created, together with N. Krylov, the theory of nonlinear oscillations. Created a consistent theory of superconductivity. In the theory of superfluidity he derived kinetic equations. He proposed a new synthesis of Bohr's theory of quasiperiodic functions.
Arthur Leonard Schawlow Arthur Leonard Schawlow (1921 - 1999)
Worldview. Methodist. Henry Margeno cites the following statement of the scientist: “And I see the need for God both in the Universe and in my life.” When the scientist was asked if he was a religious person, he replied: “Yes, I was raised a Protestant and I was in several denominations. I go to church, a very good Methodist church.” The scientist also stated that he is an orthodox Protestant.
Contribution to science. Physicist, received the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his “contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy.” In addition to optics, Shavlov also explored such areas of physics as superconductivity and nuclear magnetic resonance.
Abdus Salam Mohammad Abdus Salam (محمد عبد السلام) (1926 - 1996)
Worldview. A Muslim from the Ahmadi community. In his Nobel speech, the scientist quotes the Koran. When the Pakistani government passed a constitutional amendment declaring members of the Ahmadiyya community non-Muslims, the scientist left the country in protest.
Contribution to science. In 1979 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his theory of unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions. Some of his main achievements were also: the Pati-Salam model, magnetic photon, vector mesons, work on supersymmetry.
Charles Hard Townes Charles Hard Townes (b. 1915)
Worldview. Protestant (United Church of Christ). In a 2005 interview with The Guardian, the scientist said he was "raised Christian, and while my ideas have changed, I've always felt like a religious person." In the same interview, Townes stated: "What is the science? Science is an attempt to understand how the Universe works, including the human race. What is religion? It is an attempt to understand the purpose and meaning of the Universe, including the human race. If there is this purpose and meaning, then it must be interconnected with the structure of the Universe and how it works (...) Therefore, faith must teach us something about science and vice versa.”
Contribution to science. One of the creators of quantum electronics, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for “fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which led to the creation of emitters and amplifiers based on the laser-maser principle.” In 1969, together with other scientists, he discovered the so-called. “maser effect” (radiation of cosmic water molecules at a wavelength of 1.35 cm), together with a colleague, he was the first to calculate the mass of the black hole in the center of our galaxy. The scientist also made contributions to nonlinear optics: he discovered Mandelstam-Brillouin stimulated scattering, introduced the concept of the critical power of a light beam and the phenomenon of self-focusing, and experimentally observed the effect of autocollimation of light.
Freeman John Dyson Freeman John Dyson (b. 1923)
Worldview. A non-denominational Christian, although Dyson's views can be described as agnostic (in one of his books he wrote that he does not consider himself a practicing Christian, but only a practicing one, and stated that he does not see the point in a theology that claims to know the answers to fundamental questions) . The scientist vigorously disagrees with reductionism, so, in his Tempelton lecture, Dyson said: “Science and religion are two windows through which people look, trying to understand the Universe, to understand why they are here. These two windows offer different views, but they look at the same Universe. Neither of them is complete, they are both one-sided. Both exclude significant parts of the real world."
Contribution to science. Theoretical physicist and mathematician, known for his work in quantum electrodynamics, astronomy and nuclear engineering.
Anthony Hewish Antony Hewish (b. 1924)
Worldview. Christian. From a letter to T. Dmitrov: “I believe in God. It seems senseless to me that the Universe and our existence are just an accident on a cosmic scale and that life arose as a result of random physical processes, simply because favorable conditions arose for this. As a Christian, I begin to understand the meaning of life thanks to faith in the Creator, Whose nature was partially revealed in Man, born 2000 years ago.”
Contribution to science. In 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his “determining role in the discovery of pulsars.”
Arno Allan Penzias Arno Allan Penzias (born 1933)
Worldview. Jew, in Jerry Bergman's book the following quote is given by the scientist: “The best data we have is what I would be able to predict if I had only the Pentateuch of Moses, the book of Psalms and the entire Bible in front of me.” In his speeches, the scientist often said that he saw meaning in the Universe, and pointed out the reluctance of the scientific community to accept the Big Bang Theory, since it points to the creation of the world.
Contribution to science. Physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976 for the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. Using a maser, I solved the problem of increasing the accuracy of antenna tuning.
Joseph Taylor, Jr. Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr. (born 1941)
Worldview. Quaker. The scientist’s worldview is known from the book by Istvan Hargitay, when asked “Could you tell us about your attitude towards religion?” The scientist responded as follows: “My family and I are active members of the religious community of Friends, that is, the Quaker community. Religion is an important part of our lives (especially for my wife and I; for our children to a lesser extent). My wife and I often spend time with other believers in our community; it helps us become more aware of our attitude towards life, reminds us of why we are on Earth and what we can do for others. Quakers are a group of Christians who believe in the possibility of direct communication between man and the Spirit, whom we call God. Reflection and self-contemplation helps to communicate with this Spirit and learn a lot about yourself and how to live on Earth. Quakers believe that wars cannot resolve differences and that lasting results are achieved through peaceful resolution of problems. We have always refused and refuse to participate in war, but we are ready to serve our country in other ways. We believe that there is something Divine in every person, therefore human life is sacred. You need to look for the depth of spiritual presence in people, even in those with whom you disagree.”
Contribution to science. Physicist, awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for “the discovery of a new type of pulsar, which provided new opportunities in the study of gravity.”
William Daniel Phillips William Daniel Phillips (b. 1948)
Worldview. Methodist. One of the founders of the International Society for Science and Religion. Known for his frequent participation in the dialogue between "faith and science". In his autobiography on the Nobel Prize website, Phillips writes: “In 1979, after Jane (the scientist’s wife) and I moved to Gasersburg, we joined the United Methodist Church (...) Our children were our inexhaustible a source of blessing, adventure and challenge. At the time, Jane and I were trying to find new jobs, and having children required a delicate balance between work, home, and church life. But somehow, our faith and our youthful energy carried us through these times.”
Contribution to science. Physicist, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for “the development of methods for cooling and trapping atoms with a laser beam.”
Mathematics
René Descartes René Descartes (1596 - 1650)
Worldview. Catholic. One of the reasons for writing his “Meditations” was the defense of the Christian faith; in particular, in one of the chapters, Descartes formulated a new ontological proof of the existence of God; he also wrote: “In a sense, we can say that without knowing God, one cannot have reliable knowledge of nothing."
Contribution to science. Mathematician, created the Cartesian coordinate system and laid the foundations of analytical geometry. The first mathematically derived the law of refraction of light at the boundary of two different media.
Pierre de Fermat Pierre de Fermat (1601 - 1665)
Worldview. Catholic.
Contribution to science. Mathematician, creator of number theory, author of Fermat's Last Theorem. The scientist formulated the general law of differentiation of fractional powers. He founded analytical geometry (along with Descartes) and applied it to space. He stood at the origins of probability theory.
Christian Huygens Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 1695)
Worldview. Protestant of the Reformed Church. When the French monarchy stopped tolerating Protestantism in 1881 (revocation of the Edict of Nantes), Huygens left the country, although they wanted to make an exception for him, which testifies to his religious beliefs.
Contribution to science. The first president of the Farntsuz Academy of Sciences, he served for 15 years. Discovered the theory of evolutes and involutes. He invented a pendulum clock and published a classic work on mechanics, “Pendulum Clock.” He derived the laws of uniformly accelerated freely falling bodies and formulated thirteen theorems on centrifugal force. Together with Fermat and Pascal, he laid the foundations of probability theory. He discovered Saturn's moon Titan, described the rings of Saturn, and discovered an ice cap at the South Pole of Mars. He invented a special eyepiece, consisting of two flat-convex lenses, named after him. The first called for choosing a universal natural measure of length. Simultaneously with Wallis and Rehn, he solved the problem of the collision of elastic bodies.
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646 - 1716)
Worldview. The Christian is presumably a Protestant. He spoke out against theological orthodoxy, and against materialism and atheism. He created his own philosophical doctrine, the so-called. Leibniz's monadology, which was close to deism and pantheism.
Contribution to science. Predetermined mathematical analysis and combinatorics. Laid the foundations of mathematical logic and combinatorics. He took a very important step towards the creation of a computer; he was the first to describe the binary number system. He was the only person who worked freely with both continuous and discrete ones. For the first time he formulated the law of conservation of energy. Created a mechanical calculator (together with H. Huygens).
Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler (1707 - 1783)
Worldview. Christian. He believed in the inspiration of Scripture, argued with Denny Diderot about the existence of God, and wrote an apologetic treatise “Defense of Divine Revelation from the Objections of Freethinkers.”
Contribution to science. It is often said that from the point of view of mathematics, the 18th century is the century of Euler. Many call him the greatest mathematician of all time. Euler was the first to link analysis, algebra, trigonometry, number theory and other branches of mathematics into a single system; listing all his discoveries by name is impossible due to the format of this section.
Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauß (1777 - 1855)
Worldview. Lutheran. Although Gauss did not believe in a personal God and was considered a deist, it can be argued that he had a religious worldview, for example, he believed in the immortality of the soul and life after death. According to Dunnington, Gauss believed in an immortal, righteous, omniscient and omnipotent God. With all his love for mathematics, Karl Friedrich never absolutized it, he said: “There are problems to the solution of which I would attribute infinitely greater importance compared to mathematical problems, for example, problems related to ethics, or our relationship to God, or concerning our destiny and our future; but their solution lies entirely beyond our borders and absolutely beyond the scope of science.”
Contribution to science. The scientist is often called the King of Mathematics (lat. Princeps mathematicorum), this reflects his invaluable and vast contribution to the “queen of sciences”. Thus, in algebra, Gauss came up with a rigorous proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra, discovered the ring of complex integers, and created the classical theory of comparisons. In geometry, the scientist contributed to differential geometry, for the first time dealt with the internal geometry of surfaces: he discovered the characteristic of a surface (named in his honor), proved the fundamental theorem of surfaces, Gauss also created a separate science - higher geodesy. Dunnington claimed that Gauss was the first to study non-Euclidean geometry, but was afraid to publish his results, considering them meaningless. In mathematical analysis, Gauss created the theory of potential and studied elliptic functions. The scientist was also interested in astronomy, where he studied the orbits of small planets and found a way to determine orbital elements from three complete observations. Many of his students later became great mathematicians. The scientist also studied physics, where he developed the theory of capillarity and the theory of lens systems, and also laid the foundations for the theory of electromagnetism, and designed (together with Weber) the first primitive electric telegraph.
Bernard Bolzano Bernard Placidus Johann Nepomuk Bolzano (1781 - 1848)
Worldview. Catholic priest. In addition to his scientific research, Bolzano also dealt with theological and philosophical issues.
Contribution to science. Bolzano's work contributed to the formation of strict definitions of analysis using "epsilon" and "delta". In many areas of mathematics, the scientist was a pioneer, ahead of his time: even before Cantor, Bolzano studied infinite sets; using geometric considerations, the scientist obtained examples of continuous, but nowhere differentiable functions. The scientist put forward the idea of the arithmetic theory of the real number, in 1817 he proved the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem (independent of the latter, who discovered it half a century later), the Bolzano-Cauchy theorem.
Augustin Louis Cauchy Augustin Louis Cauchy (1789 - 1857)
Worldview. Catholic. He was close to the Jesuit Order, was a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Augustin often had difficulties with colleagues because of his views.
Contribution to science. He developed the basis of mathematical analysis, for the first time strictly defined the limit, continuity, derivative, integral, convergence of a series in mathematical analysis, introduced the concept of convergence of a series, created the theory of integral residues, laid the foundations of the mathematical theory of elasticity, and made significant contributions to other fields of science.
Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871)
Worldview. Anglican (presumably). Convincedly defended the authenticity of biblical miracles in an era when people were increasingly moving away from the Christian worldview.
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