Famous Scientists And
Their Inventions
A
scientist is someone who explores the nature of the universe. On the other
hand, an investigator is someone who tries to create useful devices and
products. A few people have been successful in both endeavours. Given below is
a list of discoveries that includes 17 famous scientists and their discoveries.
Albert Einstein
Photon,
also known as light quantum, is a tiny energy packet of electromagnetic
radiation. This concept originated in Albert Einstein’s explanation of the
photoelectric effect, in which he proposed the existence of discrete energy
packets during the transmission of light. Albert Einstein was best known for
his General and Special theory of relativity and the concept of
mass-energy equivalence (E = mc2.)
J.J Thomson
J.J Thomson, an English physicist and a Nobel Laureate in Physics, is credited
and honoured with the discovery of the electron, which was the first subatomic
particle to be discovered. Thomson managed to show that cathode rays were
composed of previously unknown negatively charged particles (electrons), which
he calculated and inferred might have smaller bodies than atoms and a
substantial charge-mass ratio. He is also credited for finding the first
evidence for the existence of isotopes for stable elements.
Ernest
Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand chemist is regarded as the “father of nuclear
physics.” He was the first to propose that an atom comprises a small charged
nucleus surrounded by empty space and is circled by tiny electrons which later,
became known as the Rutherford model. He is credited with the discovery of
protons and hypothesized the existence of the neutron.
John Dalton
John Dalton’s major contribution was his theory on atoms which consists of five
parts as follows:
- Atoms are
made of tiny particles known as atoms
- Atoms are
indivisible and indestructible
- Atoms of a
given element are identical in size, mass, and chemical properties
- In a
chemical reaction, atoms separate, combine and rearrange
Dalton
made a lot of discoveries based on his observations.
James Chadwick
James Chadwick, a British physicist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1935 for
his discovery of the neutron. Bombarding elements with neutrons can result in
the penetration and splitting of nuclei generating an enormous amount of
energy. This way, Chadwick’s findings were pivotal to the discovery of nuclear
fission and ultimately, the development of the atomic bomb.
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton’s discoveries created a launchpad for future developments in
science. His most noteworthy innovations were as follows:
- Newton’s
three laws of motion set the foundation for modern classical mechanics.
- The
discovery of gravitational force gave us the ability to predict the
movement of heavenly bodies.
- His
discovery of calculus gave us a potent mathematical tool, aiding the
precise analytical treatment of the physical world.
Isaac
Newton is one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time, and
his inventions and discoveries widened the reach of human thoughts.
Charles-Augustin
de Coulomb
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb is best known for what now is known as the
Coulomb’s law, which explains electrostatic attraction and repulsion. He
formulated this law to study the law of electrostatic repulsion put forward by
the English scientist Joseph Priestley. He also extensively worked on the
friction of machinery, the elasticity of metal and silk fibres. The SI unit of
electric charge – Coulomb, is named after him.
Georg Simon Ohm
Georg Simon Ohm, a German Physicist, discovered the law named after him, known
as the “Ohm’s Law” which states that the current flowing a conductor is
directly proportional to its voltage and inversely proportional to its
resistance.
Michael Faraday
Faraday was a man devoted to discovery through experimentation. He was famous
for never giving up on ideas that came from scientific intuition. When he
thought of an idea, he would keep experimenting through multiple failures until
he got what was expected. Below is the list of his few noteworthy discoveries:
- Discovery
of Electromagnetic Induction
- Discovery
of Benzene
- Faraday’s
Laws of Electrolysis
- Gas
Liquefication and Refrigeration
Michael
Faraday is one of the revered scientists of all time.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison made a lot of key inventions and discoveries. Here, we have
listed a few noteworthy ones:
- Invented
the carbon rheostat
- Discovered
incandescent light
- Invented
the motion picture camera
- Invented
the fluorescent electric lamp
- Discovered
thermionic emission
Edison
has been described as “America’s greatest inventor.” He developed many devices
in fields like mass communication and electric power generation. He was one of
the pioneers in applying the principles of organized science and teamwork to
the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees.
Henri Becquerel
Henri Becquerel was a French physicist best known for his work on radioactivity
for which he won a Nobel Prize. As a result, the SI unit of radioactivity
Becquerel is named after him.
Marie
Sklodowska-Curie
Marie Sklodowska-Curie was a chemist who conducted pioneering research on
radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She is most famous
for the discovery of the elements Polonium and Radium.
Max Planck
Max Planck, a German Physicist, is best known for his proposition of the
quantum theory of energy for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. His work
contributed significantly to the atomic and subatomic processes.
Heinrich Rudolf
Hertz
During his work on electromagnetism, Heinrich reported another important
phenomenon known as the Photoelectric effect. He noticed that UV rays made the
metal lose charges faster than otherwise, which led him to publish his findings
in the journal Annalen der Physik. He did not investigate this
effect further on. Later, in 1905, Albert Einstein proposed that light came in
discrete packets of energy known as the photons. This discovery led to the
development of Quantum mechanics.
Wilhelm Conrad
Röntgen
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German physicist, produced and detected
electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays. This discovery
earned him a Nobel Prize in Physics.
Neils Bohr &
Rutherford
As
discussed before, Rutherford described an atom as consisting of a positive
centre mass surrounded by orbiting electrons. Neils Bohr suspected that
electrons revolved in quantized orbits. Having suspected this, Bohr worked on
Rutherford’s model and proved that particles couldn’t occupy just any energy level.
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-American physicist who created the world’s first
nuclear reactor. He is widely known as the “architect of the nuclear age” and
the “architect of the atomic bomb.” He won a Nobel Prize in Physics for his work
on induced radioactivity by neutron bombardment. He also made significant
contributions in the field of quantum theory, statistical mechanics and nuclear
and particle physics.
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