Man began studying the laws of nature several thousand years ago. Absence necessary devices, times of religious dictatorship, difficult access to education for people without significant wealth - all this could not stop the progress of scientific thought. Famous physicists from different countries the world were able to learn how to transmit information over long distances, receive electricity and much, much more. Which names are most significant to history? Let's list a few of the most outstanding specialists.
Albert Einstein
The future scientist was born in March 1879 in the city of Ulm, Germany. Albert's ancestors lived in Swabia for several hundred years, and he himself lived until his very last days preserved the memory of their heritage - spoke with a slight South German accent. Educated in public school, and then at the gymnasium, where from the very beginning he preferred natural sciences and exact sciences. By the age of 16, he had mastered everything necessary to enter the university, but failed the language exam. Nevertheless, he soon became a student at the Polytechnic University in Zurich.
His teachers were famous physicists and mathematicians of that time, for example, Hermann Minkowski, who in the future would come up with an excellent formula for expressing the theory of relativity. Most Einstein spent time in the laboratory or reading the works of Maxwell, Kirchhoff and other leading experts in this field. After studying, Albert was a teacher for some time, and then became a technical expert at the patent office, over the years of work in which he published many of his famous works, which made him famous throughout the world. He changed people's understanding of space, created a formula that converts mass into a form of energy, and deeply studied molecular physics. His success was soon awarded the Nobel Prize, and the scientist himself moved to the USA, where he worked until the end of his days.
Nikola Tesla
This inventor from Austria-Hungary is perhaps the most famous physicist in the world.
Eccentric character and revolutionary discoveries made him famous and inspired several writers and directors to use his image in their work. He was born in July 1856 and from early years, like many other famous physicists, began to show his penchant for exact sciences. Over the years of his work, he discovered the phenomenon of alternating current, fluorescent light and wireless energy transfer, developed remote control and a method of treating with electric current, created an electric clock, solar engine and many other unique devices for which he received more than three hundred patents. In addition, it is believed that the famous physicists Popov and Marconi invented radio, but Tesla was the first. Modern electrical power engineering is entirely based on his personal achievements and discoveries. One of Nikola’s most striking experiments was the transmission of current over fifty kilometers. He managed to light two hundred light bulbs without any wires, building a huge tower from which lightning flew and thunder could be heard throughout the area. A spectacular and risky undertaking became his By the way, films often demonstrate precisely this experience.
Isaac Newton
Many famous physicists made significant contributions, but Newton was something of a pioneer.
Its laws are the basis of many modern ideas, and at the time of their discovery it was a truly revolutionary achievement. The famous Englishman was born in 1643. Since childhood, he was interested in physics, and over the years he also wrote works on mathematics, astronomy, and optics. He was the first to formulate elementary laws nature, which greatly influenced the works of his contemporaries. It is not surprising that he was admitted to the Royal Society of London, and for some time he was its president.
Lev Landau
Like many other famous physicists, Landau showed himself most clearly in the theoretical sphere. The legendary Soviet scientist was born in January 1908, in the family of an engineer and a doctor. He studied brilliantly at school and entered a Baku university, where he began studying physics and chemistry. By the age of nineteen he had already published four scientific works. Brilliant career was devoted to the study of quantum states and density matrices, as well as electrodynamics. Landau's achievements were awarded the Nobel Prize, in addition, the Soviet scientist received several Hero titles Socialist Labor, was an honorary member of the Royal Society of London and several foreign Academies of Sciences. Collaborated with Heisenberg, Pauli and Bohr. The latter influenced Landau especially strongly - his ideas manifested themselves in theories about magnetic properties free electrons.
James Maxwell
When compiling a list that would include the most famous physicists in the world, one cannot fail to mention that Clerk Maxwell was a British scientist who developed classical electrodynamics. He was born in June 1831, and by 1860 he had become a member of the Royal Society of London. Maxwell created the first in the country physics laboratory with professional equipment. There he studied electromagnetism, kinetic theory gases, optics, elasticity and other topics. He was one of the first to create a device for quantitative measurement colors, later called Maxwell's disk.
In his theories he generalized everything known facts electrodynamics and introduced the concept of displacement current, which generates a magnetic field. Maxwell expressed all the laws in four equations. Their analysis allows us to clearly demonstrate patterns that were previously unknown.
Igor Kurchatov
A famous nuclear physicist from the USSR also deserves mention. Igor Kurchatov grew up in Crimea and graduated from high school and university there. Since 1924 he began the department of physics Polytechnic Institute Azerbaijan, and a year later he was hired in Leningrad. Behind successful study dielectrics were awarded to him by doctors.
Under his leadership, the cyclotron was put into operation already in 1939. conducted work on nuclear reactions and headed the Soviet nuclear project. Under his leadership, the first nuclear power plant was opened. Kurchatov created the first Soviet nuclear and thermonuclear bomb. For his achievements he received several state awards and medals.
Scientific research in the Soviet Union was carried out on a massive scale. Employees of countless research institutes and laboratories worked day and night for the benefit of ordinary people and the country as a whole. The Academy of Sciences carefully monitored how technicians, humanists, mathematicians, chemists, doctors, biologists, and geographers cut through the fog of the unknown.
However Special attention was given to physicists.
Branches of physics
Most important directions, which often had great privileges, were astronautics, aircraft construction, and the creation of computer technology.
There have been many famous scientists throughout history. The list entitled “The Most Famous Physicists of the USSR” is opened by the Vice-President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician Fedorovich. Scientist created famous school, which in different time Many talented graduates have graduated. It is no coincidence that Abram Fedorovich is an eminent Soviet physicist, one of those who are called the “fathers” of this science.
The future scientist was born in 1880 in the city of Romny, near Poltava, in the family of a merchant. In native locality he received secondary education, in 1902 he graduated from St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, and three years later - a university in Munich. The future “father of Soviet physics” defended his work with Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen himself. It is not surprising that in such at a young age Abram Fedorovich received the title of Doctor of Science.
After graduating from university, he returned to St. Petersburg, where he began working at the local polytechnic. Already in 1911 the scientist made the first important discovery- determined the charge of the electron. The specialist's career quickly grew, and in 1913 Ioffe received the title of professor.
The year 1918 is significant for history in that, thanks to the influence of this scientist, the Faculty of Physics and Mechanics was opened at the Institute for the Study of Radiology. For this, Ioffe subsequently received the unofficial title of “father of the Soviet and Russian atom.”
Since 1920 he has been a member of the Academy of Sciences.
For my long labor activity Ioffe was associated with the Petrograd Industry Committee, the Association of Physicists, the Agrophysical Institute, the House of Scientists in St. Petersburg, and the Semiconductor Laboratory.
During the Great Patriotic War he was in charge of the commission military equipment and engineering.
In 1942, the scientist lobbied for the opening of a laboratory in which they studied nuclear reactions. It was located in Kazan. Her official name- “Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences.”
Who is most often called the “father of Soviet physics” is Abram Fedorovich!
In memory of the great scientist, busts and memorials were erected, and memorial plaques were unveiled. A planet, a street, a square, and a school in his native Romny are named after him.
Crater on the moon - for merit
Who is called the “father of Soviet physics” is another outstanding scientist - Leonid Isaakovich Mandelstam. He was born on April 22, 1879 in Mogilev into an intelligent family of a doctor and a pianist.
Since childhood, young Leonid was drawn to science and loved to read. Studied in Odessa and Strasbourg.
Who is called the “father of Soviet physics”? A person who did the maximum possible for this science.
Leonid Isaakovich began in 1925 scientific activity in Moscow state university. Thanks to the efforts of the scientist, the physics, mathematics and physics faculties resumed their activities at the university.
Most famous work Leonid Isaakovich was studying the scattering of light. For similar activities, the Indian scientist Chandrasekhara Raman received Nobel Prize. Although he repeatedly stated that it was the Soviet physicist who carried out this experiment almost a week earlier.
The scientist died in 1944 in Moscow.
The memory of Leonid Isaakovich is immortalized in busts and memorials.
A crater is named in honor of the scientist. back side Moons.
Author of a textbook on which more than one generation has grown up
Landsberg Grigory Samuilovich is the one who is called the “father of Soviet physics.” He was born in 1890 in Vologda.
In 1908 he graduated from the gymnasium in Nizhny Novgorod with a gold medal.
In 1913 he graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Moscow University. He began his career by teaching at this university.
He also worked at the Omsk Agricultural, Moscow Physico-Technical and Technical Institutes.
In 1923 he received the title of professor.
The main works are studies of optics and spectroscopy. Opened the method spectral analysis in various metals and alloys, for which he was awarded the State Prize in 1941.
He is the founder of the Institute of Spectroscopy of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the school of atomic spectral analysis.
Schoolchildren remember Grigory Samuilovich as the author of “ Elementary textbook physics", which has gone through multiple reprints and long years was considered the best.
The scientist died in Moscow in 1957.
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics 1978
The scientist gained fame from his research into strong electromagnetic fields. In 1922, Pyotr Leonidovich defended doctoral dissertation. In 1929 Kapitsa became a member Royal Society London. At the same time, he was elected in absentia to the USSR Academy of Sciences.
In 1930, Pyotr Leonidovich’s personal laboratory was built.
The scientist never forgot his homeland and often came to visit his mother and other relatives.
In 1934 there was a regular visit. But Kapitsa was not allowed back to England, citing his assistance to foreign enemies.
In the same year, the physicist was appointed to the position of director of the Institute physical problems. In 1935, he moved to Moscow and received a personal car. Construction of a laboratory similar to the English one began almost immediately. Funding for the project was practically unlimited. But the scientist repeatedly noted that the conditions were much inferior to those in England.
In the early 1940s, Kapitsa's main activity was aimed at producing liquid oxygen.
In 1945, he took part in the creation of the Soviet atomic bomb.
In 1955 he was in the development group of the first artificial satellite of our planet.
Bright work
For the work “Plasma and controlled thermonuclear reaction“In 1978, the academician received the Nobel Prize.
Petr Leonidovich is the winner of many awards and prizes. His contribution to science is truly invaluable.
The famous scientist passed away in 1984.
Now you know who is called the “fathers of Soviet physics”.
They changed our world and significantly influenced the lives of many generations.
Great physicists and their discoveries
(1856-1943) - inventor in the field of electrical and radio engineering of Serbian origin. Nikola is called father 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, 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.
(1643-1727) - one of the fathers of classical physics. Justified the movement of the planets solar system around the Sun, as well as the onset of tides. Newton created the foundation for modern physical optics. The pinnacle of his work is the famous law of universal gravitation.
John Dalton- English physical chemist. Discovered the law of uniform expansion of gases when heated, the law of multiple ratios, the phenomenon of polymerization (using the example of ethylene and butylene). Creator atomic theory structure of matter.
Michael Faraday(1791 - 1867) - English physicist and chemist, founder of the doctrine of the electromagnetic field. He made so many scientific discoveries during his life that they would be enough for a dozen scientists to immortalize his name.
(1867 - 1934) - physicist and chemist of Polish origin. Together with her husband, she discovered the elements radium and polonium. She worked on problems of radioactivity.
Robert Boyle(1627 - 1691) - English physicist, chemist and theologian. Together with R. Townley, he established the dependence of the volume of the same mass of air on pressure at a constant temperature (Boyle-Mariotte law).
Ernest Rutherford- English physicist, unraveled the nature of induced radioactivity, discovered the emanation of thorium, radioactive decay and his law. Rutherford is often rightly called one of the titans of 20th century physics.
- German physicist, creator general theory relativity. He suggested that all bodies do not attract each other, as was believed since the time of Newton, but bend the surrounding space and time. 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). Developed many scientific theories: quantum photoelectric effect and quantum heat capacity. Together with Planck, he developed the fundamentals quantum theory, representing the basis modern physics.
Alexander Stoletov- Russian physicist, found that the magnitude of the saturation photocurrent is proportional to luminous flux, incident on the cathode. Comes close to establishing laws electrical discharges in gases.
(1858-1947) - German physicist, creator of quantum theory, which made a true revolution in physics. Classical physics in contrast to modern physics, it now means “physics before Planck.”
Paul Dirac- English physicist, discovered statistical distribution energy in a system of electrons. Received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory."
The Soviet era can be regarded as a very productive period of time. Even in difficult times post-war period scientific developments in the USSR they were funded quite generously, and the profession of a scientist itself was prestigious and well paid.
A favorable financial background coupled with the presence of truly gifted people brought remarkable results: Soviet period A whole galaxy of physicists arose, whose names are known not only in the post-Soviet space, but throughout the world.
In the USSR, the profession of a scientist was prestigious and well paid
Sergei Ivanovich Vavilov(1891−1951). Despite his far from proletarian origin, this scientist managed to defeat class filtration and become a founding father the whole school physical optics. Vavilov is a co-author of the discovery of the Vavilov-Cherenkov effect, for which he subsequently (after the death of Sergei Ivanovich) received the Nobel Prize.
Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg(1916−2009). The scientist received wide recognition for his experiments in the field of nonlinear optics and micro-optics; as well as for research in the field of luminescence polarization.
The advent of fluorescent lamps was largely due to Ginzburg.
The emergence of widely used fluorescent lamps is due in no small part to Ginzburg: it was he who actively developed applied optics and endowed purely theoretical discoveries with practical value.
Lev Davidovich Landau(1908−1968). The scientist is known not only as one of the founders Soviet school physics, but also as a person with sparkling humor. Lev Davidovich derived and formulated several basic concepts in quantum theory, conducted basic research in the sphere of over low temperatures and superfluidity. Currently, Landau has become a legend in theoretical physics: His contributions are remembered and honored. 
Andrey Dmitrievich Sakharov(1921−1989). The co-inventor of the hydrogen bomb and a brilliant nuclear physicist sacrificed his health for the cause of peace and general security. The scientist is the author of the invention of the “Sakharov puff pastry” scheme. Andrei Dmitrievich is a vivid example of how rebellious scientists were treated in the USSR: long years of dissidence undermined Sakharov’s health and did not allow his talent to reveal its full potential. 
Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa(1894−1984). The scientist can quite rightly be called “ business card» Soviet science- the surname “Kapitsa” was known to every citizen of the USSR, young and old.
The surname “Kapitsa” was known to every citizen of the USSR
Petr Leonidovich made a huge contribution to low temperature physics: as a result of his research, science was enriched with many discoveries. These include the phenomenon of helium superfluidity, the establishment of cryogenic bonds in various substances and much more. 
Igor Vasilievich Kurchatov(1903−1960). Contrary to popular belief, Kurchatov worked not only on nuclear and hydrogen bombs: the main direction of Igor Vasilyevich’s scientific research was devoted to the development of atomic splitting in for peaceful purposes. The scientist did a lot of work in theory magnetic field: The demagnetization system invented by Kurchatov is still used on many ships. In addition to his scientific flair, the physicist had good organizational skills: many complex projects were implemented under Kurchatov’s leadership.
The laws of physics are great and comprehensive. The arena of action of the forces and processes studied by it is the entire universe.
Laws governing physical phenomena, it is necessary for an astronomer, a geologist, a chemist, a doctor, a meteorologist, and an engineer of any specialty to know. The victories won by physicists are embodied in a variety of engines, machines, machine tools and structures.
The works of Russian physicists give us wonderful examples of the use of all means of scientific research: observation, experience, theoretical analysis.
Observers have a whole arsenal of instruments that repeatedly sharpen human feeling. There are also devices that detect what a person is unable to sense - picking up radio waves, noticing individual atoms and even electrons.
A well-delivered experience is skillful. given to nature question. By carrying out experiments, researchers learn the secrets of nature, as if talking with it.
Just like observation, experience, experiment is a necessary link in scientific research. Every day thousands of experiments are carried out in laboratories around the world.
Experiments alone clarify specific gravity substances, others recognize their hardness, others measure the melting point, etc. This everyday experiences. They are similar to the movement of a pedestrian on a plain. After each such experience - step - we learn more and more details about the world.
But there are experiences similar to climbing mountain peak or flying upward when a view of a new, unknown country opens up. These great experiments determined the development of all science for many years.
A true researcher carefully uses observation and experience. He is not their slave, but their ruler. The researcher’s thought boldly rushes into a daring flight in order to see the main thing, to learn the basic laws. And the hypothesis, theoretically created today, is brilliantly confirmed tomorrow, with the help of new methods of observation and experiment, experience acts as the supreme judge of the hypothesis.
A common thread running through the entire history of advanced Russian science is the desire to find the main, fundamental laws governing the world. Observation, experience and mathematical analysis were a means for physicists to penetrate into the very essence of phenomena.
Russian physicists created many theories, the correctness of which was later confirmed with the development of new methods of observation and experiment. Advanced Russian scientists more than once rebelled against the theories accepted in their time and boldly paved the way for something new.
