As paradoxical as it may sound, the Soviet era can be regarded as a very productive period of time. Even in the difficult post-war period, scientific developments in the USSR were financed 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: during the Soviet period, a whole galaxy of physicists arose, whose names are known not only in the post-Soviet space, but throughout the world.
We present to your attention material about famous physicists of the USSR who made a significant contribution to world science.
Sergei Ivanovich Vavilov (1891-1951). Despite his far from proletarian origin, this scientist managed to defeat class filtering and become the founding father of an entire school of 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. In the emergence of common fluorescent lamps There is considerable merit 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 of the Soviet school of physics, but also as a person with sparkling humor. Lev Davidovich derived and formulated several basic concepts in quantum theory, conducted fundamental research in the field of super low temperatures and superfluidity. Currently, Landau has become a legend in theoretical physics: his contribution is remembered and honored.
Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (1921-1989). Co-inventor of the hydrogen bomb and 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 paste” 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. 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 fission 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.
Alas, modern science have not learned to measure fame or contribution to science in any objective quantities: none of the existing methods allows us to create a one hundred percent reliable popularity rating or estimate the value in numbers scientific discoveries. Take this material as a reminder of the great personalities who once lived with us on the same land and in the same country.
Unfortunately, within the framework of one article we cannot mention all Soviet physicists known not only in narrow scientific circles, but also among the general public. In subsequent materials we will definitely talk about other famous scientists, including those who received the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Our understanding of the world around us in the heyday of the technological era - all this, and much more, is the result of the work of numerous scientists. We live in a progressive world that is developing at a tremendous pace. This growth and progression is the product of science, numerous studies and experiments. Everything we use, including cars, electricity, healthcare and science, is the result of the inventions and discoveries of these intellectuals. If it weren't for the greatest minds of mankind, we would still be living in the Middle Ages. People take everything for granted, but it is still worth paying tribute to those thanks to whom we have what we have. This list features ten of the greatest scientists in history whose inventions changed our lives.
Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician, widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time. Newton's contributions to science were wide-ranging and unique, and the laws he derived are still taught in schools as the basis of scientific understanding. His genius is always mentioned along with a funny story - supposedly Newton discovered the force of gravity thanks to an apple that fell from a tree on his head. Whether the apple story is true or not, Newton also established the heliocentric model of the cosmos, built the first telescope, formulated the empirical law of cooling, and studied the speed of sound. As a mathematician, Newton also made a lot of discoveries that influenced the further development of mankind. 
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein is a physicist of German origin. In 1921 he was awarded Nobel Prize for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. But the most important achievement of the greatest scientist in history is the theory of relativity, which, along with quantum mechanics, forms the basis modern physics. He also formulated the mass energy equivalence relation E=m, which is named as the most famous equation in the world. He also collaborated with other scientists on works such as Bose-Einstein Statistics. Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt in 1939, alerting him of possible nuclear weapons, is believed to be a key impetus in the development atomic bomb USA. Einstein believes this is the biggest mistake of his life. 
James Maxwell (1831-1879)
Maxwell, a Scottish mathematician and physicist, introduced the concept of the electromagnetic field. He proved that light and the electromagnetic field travel at the same speed. In 1861, Maxwell took the first color photograph after researching in the field of optics and colors. Maxwell's work on thermodynamics and kinetic theory also helped other scientists make whole line important discoveries. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is another major contribution to the development of relativity and quantum mechanics. 
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist, whose main invention was the pasteurization process. Pasteur made a number of discoveries in the field of vaccination, creating vaccines against rabies and anthrax. He also studied the causes and developed methods of preventing diseases, which saved many lives. All this made Pasteur the “father of microbiology.” This greatest scientist founded the Pasteur Institute to continue scientific research in many fields.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Charles Darwin is one of the most influential figures in human history. Darwin, an English naturalist and zoologist, put forward evolutionary theory and evolutionism. He provided the basis for understanding the origins of human life. Darwin explained that all life arose from common ancestors and that development occurred through natural selection. This is one of the dominant scientific explanations for the diversity of life. 
Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911). She became not only the first woman to win the prize, but also the only woman to do so in two fields and the only person to achieve this in different sciences. Her main field of research was radioactivity—methods for isolating radioactive isotopes and the discovery of the elements polonium and radium. During World War I, Curie opened the first radiology center in France and also developed mobile field x-rays, which helped save the lives of many soldiers. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to radiation led to aplastic anemia, from which Curie died in 1934. 
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)
Nikola Tesla, Serbian American, best known for his work in the field modern system power supply and AC research. Tesla on initial stage worked for Thomas Edison - developed engines and generators, but later quit. In 1887 he built an asynchronous motor. Tesla's experiments gave rise to the invention of radio communications, and Tesla's special character gave him the nickname "mad scientist." In honor of this greatest scientist, in 1960 the unit of measurement of magnetic field induction was called “tesla”. 
Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Danish physicist Niels Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1922 for his work on quantum theory and the structure of the atom. Bohr is famous for discovering the model of the atom. In honor of this greatest scientist, they even named the element ‘Borium’, previously known as “hafnium”. Bohr also played an important role in the founding of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. 
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Galileo Galilei is best known for his achievements in astronomy. An Italian physicist, astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, he improved the telescope and made important astronomical observations, including the confirmation of the phases of Venus and the discovery of the moons of Jupiter. The frantic support of heliocentrism led to the persecution of the scientist; Galileo was even subjected to house arrest. At this time he wrote ‘Two New Sciences’, thanks to which he was called the “Father of Modern Physics”. 
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Aristotle is a Greek philosopher who is the first true scientist in history. His views and ideas influenced scientists in later years. He was a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His work covers a wide variety of subjects - physics, metaphysics, ethics, biology, zoology. His views on natural Sciences and physics were innovative and became the basis for further development humanity. 
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834 - 1907)
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev can safely be called one of the greatest scientists in the history of mankind. He discovered one of the fundamental laws of the universe - the periodic law chemical elements, to which the entire universe is subordinated. The story of this amazing man deserves many volumes, and his discoveries became the engine of development of the modern world.
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 works formed the basis for modern devices, operating on alternating current, multiphase systems and electric motors, which made it possible to complete 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, his discoveries early period had innovative significance. 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 currents high frequency And high voltage. 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 human body. Many of the rules first developed by Tesla were included in modern basics safety precautions 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. That same year, Tesla received his major patents for the invention of polyphase electric machines(including an asynchronous electric motor) and power transmission systems via multiphase 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 effect of "lightning on demand" to the public by standing in metal cage under a giant Tesla circuit and controlling 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 most ancient and important scientific disciplines is physics - the science that studies the properties of matter, the basis of all natural science.
It is for this reason that physics is considered a fundamental science. Other natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, etc.) describe separate classes of material systems that ultimately obey physical laws.
James Watt (1736 - 1819), Scottish physicist and inventor, was born in England on January 19, 1736. The creator of the first universal steam engine, he did not have any special education; at first he was a qualified and talented toolmaker and served at the University of Glasgow.
Watt's road to world fame began with ordinary, routine work. One day he was assigned to repair a model of Newcomen's steam engine. He couldn't cope until he realized that the reason was not the breakdown of the model, but the principles underlying it. One day, while walking, Watt came up with the idea to separate the condenser for cooling the steam and the working cylinder. Using this principle, Watt creates his model of a steam engine, which is still kept in the London Museum. Due to its efficiency, Watt's steam engine became widespread and had great value during the transition to machine production. During the 1800s, much of the energy produced by British industry was provided by Watt's steam engines.
James Watt introduced the first unit of power - horsepower. He also designed instruments that were later common: a mercury vacuum gauge, a mercury open manometer, a water measuring glass for boilers, and a pressure indicator. He also invented copying ink (1780) and established the composition of water (1781).
Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the inventor of the telephone. The Bell family from Scotland moved to Canada and later to the USA. Bell was neither a physicist nor an electrical engineer by training. He started as an assistant music teacher and oratory skills, and later worked with people who had lost their hearing or suffered from speech impediments.
Bell was very eager to help these people. His great love for a girl who lost her hearing after an illness prompted him to design instruments and devices with which he demonstrated the articulation of speech to the deaf. In Boston, he opened an educational institution where he trained teachers for the deaf. In 1893, A. Bell received the title of professor of physiology of speech organs at Boston University. Subsequently, he studies in depth the physics of human speech, acoustics, and soon begins to conduct experiments using an apparatus in which a membrane transmits sound vibrations. He gradually approached the idea of creating a telephone that would allow the transmission of various sounds if he could cause vibrations electric current, which correspond in intensity to the air vibrations produced by this sound.
Soon A. Bell changes the direction of his activities and begins work on creating a telegraph that would be able to transmit several texts simultaneously. During this work, an accident helped to discover the phenomenon that led to the invention of the telephone.
One day, Bell's assistant was removing a record from the transmitter. At this time, Bell heard a rattling sound in the receiving device. As it turned out, this plate closed and opened electrical circuit. Bell took this observation very seriously. A few days later the first telephone was made, which consisted of a small membrane made from drum skin and a signal horn to amplify the sound. It was this device that became the progenitor of all telephones.
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 into the 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 studied literature, pedagogy and social activities, leaving a mark in 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 elementary education at home His first teacher was his father, whom Schrödinger later spoke of as “a friend, teacher and tireless interlocutor.” In 1898, Schrödinger entered the Academic Gymnasium, where he was the first student in Greek language, Latin, classical literature, mathematics and physics During his high school 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 Nelson ( New Zealand) in the family of a migrant 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 preparation to work in the workshop, which later helped him in the design and construction of scientific equipment.
MARIA 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 PLANK (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 a professor civil law Johann Julius Wilhelm von Planck, 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, modern life it is no longer possible to imagine, 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, foreign languages. To learn French and German languages 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 was already reading 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)
Associated with the name Lenz fundamental discoveries in the field of electrodynamics. 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. Independent scientific activity Lenz began 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 successes in the development of electrical engineering, which we observed with surprise in last 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, amazing with his encyclopedic knowledge all the people who knew him closely.
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 distinguished 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 then custom 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.
