What kind of physicists are there? Great discoveries in physics

Which allows people to learn more about the fundamental laws of planet Earth. Every day people do not notice how they enjoy the benefits that have become possible thanks to the work of numerous scientists. If it were not for their dedicated work, a person would not be able to fly on an airplane, cross oceans on huge liners, or even simply turn on an electric kettle. All these dedicated researchers made the world the way modern people see it.

Galileo's discoveries

The physicist Galileo is one of the most famous. He is a physicist, astronomer, mathematician and mechanic. It was he who first invented the telescope. Using this apparatus, unprecedented for that time, it was possible to observe distant celestial bodies. Galileo Galilei is the founder of the experimental direction in physical science. The first discoveries that Galileo made with a telescope were published in his work “The Starry Messenger”. This book was truly a sensational success. Since Galileo's ideas largely contradicted the Bible, he was persecuted by the Inquisition for a long time.

Biography and discoveries of Newton

A great scientist who made discoveries in many fields is also Isaac Newton. The most famous of his discoveries is In addition, the physicist explained many natural phenomena on the basis of mechanics, and also described the features of the movement of planets around the Sun, Moon and Earth. Newton was born on January 4, 1643 in the English town of Woolsthorpe.

After graduating from school, he entered college at Cambridge University. The physicists who taught at the college influenced Newton big influence. Inspired by the example of his teachers, Newton made several of his first discoveries. They mainly concerned the field of mathematics. Next, Newton begins to conduct experiments on the decomposition of light. In 1668 he received his master's degree. In 1687, Newton's first serious scientific work, Principia, was published. In 1705, the scientist was awarded the title of knight, and the English government of that era personally thanked Newton for his research.

Female physicist: Marie Curie-Skłodowska

Physicists around the world still use the achievements of Marie Curie-Sklodowska in their work. She is the only female physicist to have been nominated for the Nobel Prize twice. Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw. As a child, a tragedy happened in the girl’s family - her mother and one of her sisters died. While studying at school, Marie Curie was distinguished by her diligence and interest in science.

In 1890, she moved to her older sister in Paris, where she entered the Sorbonne. It was then that she met her future husband, Pierre Curie. As a result of many years scientific research The couple discovered two new radioactive elements - radium and polonium. Shortly before the start of the war, it was opened in France where Marie Curie served as director. In 1920, she published a book entitled Radiology and War, which summarized her scientific experiences.

Albert Einstein: one of the greatest minds on the planet

Physicists all over the planet know the name of Albert Einstein. He is the author of the theory of relativity. Modern physics relies heavily on Einstein's views, despite the fact that not all modern scientists agree with his discoveries. Einstein was a Nobel Prize winner. During his life he wrote about 300 scientific works, relating to physics, as well as 150 works on the history and philosophy of science. Until the age of 12, Einstein was a very religious child, as he received his education in a Catholic school. After little Albert read several scientific books, he came to the conclusion that not all statements in the Bible can be true.

Many people believe that Einstein was a genius since childhood. This is far from true. As a schoolboy, Einstein was considered a very weak student. Although even then he was interested in mathematics, physics, as well as the philosophical works of Kant. In 1896, Einstein entered the Faculty of Education in Zurich, where he also met his future wife, Mileva Maric. In 1905, Einstein published some articles, which, however, were criticized by some physicists. In 1933, Einstein moved to the USA permanently.

Other researchers

But there are other famous names of physicists who have made no less significant discoveries in their field. These are V. K. Roentgen, and S. Hawking, N. Tesla, L. L. Landau, N. Bohr, M. Planck, E. Fermi, M. Faraday, A. A. Becquerel and many others. Their contribution to physical science is no less important.

During his experiments, Galileo discovered that heavy objects fall faster than light ones due to less air resistance: air interferes with a light object more than a heavy one.

Galileo's decision to test Aristotle's law was a turning point in science; it marked the beginning of experimental testing of all generally accepted laws. Galileo's experiments with falling bodies led to our initial understanding of acceleration due to gravity.

Universal gravity

They say that one day Newton was sitting under an apple tree in the garden and resting. Suddenly he saw an apple fall from a branch. This simple incident made him wonder why the apple fell down while the moon remained in the sky all the time. It was at this moment that a discovery occurred in the brain of young Newton: he realized that a single force of gravity acts on the apple and the moon.


Newton imagined that for the entire Orchard there was a force that attracted branches and apples to itself. More importantly, he extended this power all the way to the moon. Newton realized that the force of gravity is everywhere, no one had thought of this before.

According to this law, gravity affects all bodies in the universe, including apples, moons and planets. The gravitational force of a large body like the Moon can cause phenomena such as the ebb and flow of the oceans on Earth.

Water in that part of the ocean that is closer to the Moon experiences greater attraction, so the Moon can be said to pull water from one part of the ocean to another. And since the Earth rotates in the opposite direction, this water retained by the Moon ends up further than its usual shores.

Newton's understanding of what every object has own strength attraction has become great scientific discovery. However, his work was not yet completed.

Laws of motion

Let's take hockey for example. You hit the puck with your stick and it slides across the ice. This is the first law: under the influence of a force, an object moves. If there were no friction with the ice, the puck would slide indefinitely. When you hit the puck with your stick, you give it acceleration.

The second law states that acceleration is directly proportional to the applied force and inversely proportional to the mass of the body.

And according to the third law, when hit, the puck acts on the stick with the same force as the stick on the puck, i.e. The action force is equal to the reaction force.

Newton's laws of motion were a bold decision explain the mechanics of the functioning of the Universe, they became the basis of classical physics.

Second law of thermodynamics

The science of thermodynamics is the science of heat being converted into mechanical energy. All technology depended on it during the Industrial Revolution.

Thermal energy can be converted into motion energy, for example, by rotating a crankshaft or turbine. The most important thing is to do as much as possible more work using as little fuel as possible. This is the most cost-effective, so people began to study the principles of operation of steam engines.


Among those who studied this issue was a German scientist. In 1865, he formulated the Second Law of Thermodynamics. According to this law, during any energy exchange, for example, when heating water in a steam boiler, part of the energy is lost. Clausius coined the word entropy to explain the limited efficiency of steam engines. Some of the thermal energy is lost during conversion to mechanical energy.

This statement changed our understanding of how energy functions. There is no heat engine that is 100% efficient. When you drive a car, only 20% of the gasoline's energy is actually spent moving. Where does the rest go? For heating air, asphalt and tires. The cylinders in the engine block heat up and wear out, and parts rust. It's sad to think about how wasteful such mechanisms are.

Although the Second Law of Thermodynamics was the basis of the Industrial Revolution, the next great discovery brought the world into its new, modern state.

Electromagnetism


Scientists have learned to create a magnetic force using electricity by passing current through a curled wire. The result was an electromagnet. As soon as current is applied, a magnetic field is created. No voltage - no field.

Electric generator at its most simplest form is a coil of wire between the poles of a magnet. Michael Faraday discovered that when a magnet and a wire are in close proximity, a current flows through the wire. All electric generators operate on this principle.

Faraday kept notes about his experiments, but encrypted them. However, they were appreciated by the physicist James Clerk Maxwell, who used them to further understand the principles electromagnetism. Maxwell allowed humanity to understand how electricity is distributed over the surface of a conductor.

If you want to know what the world would be like without the discoveries of Faraday and Maxwell, then imagine that electricity did not exist: there would be no radio, television, mobile phones, satellites, computers and all means of communication. Imagine that you are in the 19th century, because without electricity that is where you would be.

While making their discoveries, Faraday and Maxwell could not have known that their work inspired one young man to uncover the secrets of light and to search for its connection with greatest power Universe. This young man was Albert Einstein.

Theory of relativity

Einstein once said that all theories must be explained to children. If they do not understand the explanation, then the theory is meaningless. As a child, Einstein once read a children's book about electricity, when it was just emerging, and a simple telegraph seemed like a miracle. This book was written by a certain Bernstein, in which he invited the reader to imagine himself riding inside a wire along with a signal. We can say that it was then that his revolutionary theory was born in Einstein’s head.


As a youth, inspired by his impressions of that book, Einstein imagined himself moving with a beam of light. He pondered this idea for 10 years, including the concepts of light, time and space in his thoughts.

In the world that Newton described, time and space were separated from each other: when it was 10 o’clock in the morning on Earth, then the same time was on Venus, and on Jupiter, and throughout the Universe. Time was something that never deviated or stopped. But Einstein perceived time differently.

Time is a river that meanders around the stars, slowing down and speeding up. And if space and time can change, then our ideas about atoms, bodies and the Universe in general change!

Einstein demonstrated his theory using so-called thought experiments. The most famous of them is the “twin paradox”. So, we have two twins, one of whom flies into space on a rocket. Since she flies almost at the speed of light, time slows down inside her. After this twin returns to Earth, it turns out that he is younger than the one who remained on the planet. So the time is different parts The universe goes differently. It depends on speed: the faster you move, the slower time passes for you.

This experiment is, to some extent, carried out with astronauts in orbit. If a person is in outer space, then time goes slower for him. On the space station time is running slower. This phenomenon also affects satellites. Take GPS satellites, for example: they show your position on the planet with an accuracy of a few meters. Satellites move around the Earth at a speed of 29,000 km/h, so the postulates of the theory of relativity apply to them. This must be taken into account, because if the clock runs slower in space, then synchronization with earth time will be lost and the GPS system will not work.

E=mc 2

This is probably the most famous formula in the world. In the theory of relativity, Einstein proved that when the speed of light is reached, the conditions for a body change in an unimaginable way: time slows down, space contracts, and mass increases. The higher the speed, the greater the body mass. Just think, the energy of movement makes you heavier. Mass depends on speed and energy. Einstein imagined a flashlight emitting a beam of light. It is known exactly how much energy comes out of the flashlight. At the same time, he showed that the flashlight had become lighter, i.e. it became lighter as it began to emit light. This means E - the energy of the flashlight depends on m - the mass in a proportion equal to c 2. It's simple.

This formula also showed that a small object can contain enormous energy. Imagine that a baseball is thrown to you and you catch it. The harder he is thrown, the more energy he will have.

Now regarding the state of rest. When Einstein derived his formulas, he discovered that even at rest a body has energy. By calculating this value using the formula, you will see that the energy is truly enormous.

Einstein's discovery was a huge scientific leap. This was the first look at the power of the atom. Before scientists had time to fully comprehend this discovery, the next thing happened, which again shocked everyone.

Quantum theory

A quantum leap is the smallest possible leap in nature, yet its discovery was the greatest breakthrough in scientific thought.

Subatomic particles, such as electrons, can move from one point to another without occupying the space between them. In our macrocosm this is impossible, but at the atomic level this is the law.

Quantum theory appeared at the very beginning of the 20th century, when there was a crisis in classical physics. Many phenomena were discovered that contradicted Newton's laws. Madame Curie, for example, discovered radium, which itself glows in the dark; energy was taken from nowhere, which contradicted the law of conservation of energy. In 1900, people believed that energy was continuous, and that electricity and magnetism could be divided into absolutely any parts indefinitely. And the great physicist Max Planck boldly declared that energy exists in certain volumes - quanta.


If we imagine that light exists only in these volumes, then many phenomena even at the atomic level become clear. Energy is released sequentially and in a certain amount, this is called quantum effect and means that the energy is wave-like.

Then they thought that the Universe was created in a completely different way. The atom was imagined as something resembling a bowling ball. How can a ball have wave properties?

In 1925, an Austrian physicist finally came up with a wave equation that described the movement of electrons. Suddenly it became possible to look inside the atom. It turns out that atoms are both waves and particles, but at the same time impermanent.

Is it possible to calculate the possibility of a person splitting into atoms and then materializing on the other side of the wall? It sounds absurd. How can you wake up in the morning and find yourself on Mars? How can you go to sleep and wake up on Jupiter? This is impossible, but the probability of this is quite possible to calculate. This probability is very low. For this to happen, a person would need to survive the Universe, but for electrons this happens all the time.

All modern “miracles” seem to be laser beams and microchips work on the basis that an electron can be in two places at once. How is this possible? You don't know where exactly the object is. This became such a difficult obstacle that even Einstein quit studying quantum theory, he said that he did not believe that God plays dice in the Universe.

Despite all the strangeness and uncertainty, quantum theory remains our best understanding of the subatomic world so far.

Nature of light

The ancients wondered: what does the Universe consist of? They believed that it consisted of earth, water, fire and air. But if this is so, then what is light? It cannot be placed in a vessel, it cannot be touched, it cannot be felt, it is formless, but is present everywhere around us. He is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Everyone saw the light, but did not know what it was.

Physicists have been trying to answer this question for thousands of years. The greatest minds, starting with Isaac Newton, have worked on the search for the nature of light. Newton himself used sunlight divided by a prism to show all the colors of the rainbow in one beam. This meant that White light consists of rays of all colors of the rainbow.


Newton showed that red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple colors can be combined into white light. This led him to the idea that light was divided into particles, which he called corpuscles. This is how the first one appeared light theory– corpuscular.

Imagine sea ​​waves: Any person knows that when one of the waves collides with another at a certain angle, both waves mix. Jung did the same with light. He made sure that the light from the two sources intersected, and the intersection was clearly visible.

So, then there were all two theories of light: Newton’s corpuscular theory and Young’s wave theory. And then Einstein got down to business and said that perhaps both theories made sense. Newton showed that light has particle properties, and Young showed that light can have wave properties. All these are two sides of the same thing. Take an elephant for example: if you grab it by the trunk you will think it is a snake, and if you grab its leg you will think it is a tree, but in fact the elephant has qualities of both. Einstein introduced the concept dualism of light, i.e. light has properties of both particles and waves.

It took the work of three geniuses over three centuries to see the world as we know it today. Without their discoveries, we might still be living in the early Middle Ages.

Neutron

An atom is so small that it is difficult to imagine. One grain of sand contains 72 quintillion atoms. The discovery of the atom led to another discovery.


People knew about the existence of the atom 100 years ago. They thought that electrons and protons were evenly distributed in it. This was called the "raisin pudding" model because the electrons were thought to be distributed within the atom like raisins inside a pudding.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he conducted an experiment in order to better investigate the structure of the atom. He directed radioactive alpha particles at the gold foil. He wanted to know what would happen when alpha particles hit gold. The scientist did not expect anything special, since he thought that most alpha particles would pass through the gold without being reflected or changing direction.

However, the result was unexpected. According to him, it was the same as firing a 380-mm shell at a piece of matter, and the shell would bounce off it. Some alpha particles immediately bounced off the gold foil. This could only happen if there was a small amount of dense matter inside the atom, not distributed like raisins in a pudding. Rutherford called this small amount of substance core.

Chadwick conducted an experiment that showed that the nucleus consists of protons and neutrons. To do this, he used a very clever recognition method. To intercept the particles that came out of the radioactive process, Chadwick used solid paraffin.

Superconductors

Fermilab has one of the world's largest particle accelerators. This is a 7 km underground ring in which subatomic particles are accelerated to almost the speed of light and then collide. This became possible only after the advent of superconductors.

Superconductors were discovered around 1909. A Dutch physicist by name was the first to figure out how to turn helium from a gas into a liquid. After that, he could use helium as a freezing liquid, but he wanted to study the properties of materials at very high temperatures. low temperatures. At that time people were interested in how electrical resistance metal depends on the temperature - it rises or falls.


He used mercury for experiments, which he knew how to purify well. He placed her in a special apparatus, dripping liquid helium into her freezer, lowering the temperature and measuring the resistance. He found that the lower the temperature, the lower the resistance, and when the temperature reached minus 268 °C, the resistance dropped to zero. At this temperature, mercury would conduct electricity without any loss or disruption of flow. This is called superconductivity.

Superconductors allow electric current to move without any loss of energy. At Fermilab they are used to create a strong magnetic field. Magnets are needed so that protons and antiprotons can move in the phasotron and the huge ring. Their speed is almost equal to the speed of light.

The particle accelerator at Fermilab requires incredibly powerful power. Every month, it costs a million dollars in electricity to cool superconductors to minus 270°C, when the resistance becomes zero.

Now the main task– find superconductors that would work at higher temperatures high temperatures and would require less costs.

In the early 80s, a group of researchers from the Swiss branch of IBM discovered new type superconductors that had zero resistance at temperatures 100 °C higher than normal. Of course, 100 degrees above absolute zero is not the same temperature as your freezer. We need to find a material that would be a superconductor at ordinary room temperature. This would be the greatest breakthrough that would become a revolution in the world of science. Everything that now runs on electric current would become much more efficient. With the development of accelerators that could smash subatomic particles together at the speed of light, man became aware of the existence of dozens of other particles into which atoms were broken. Physicists began to call all this a “zoo of particles.”

American physicist Murray Gell-Man noticed a pattern in a number of newly discovered “zoo” particles. He divided particles into groups according to normal characteristics. Along the way, he isolated the smallest components of the atomic nucleus that make up the protons and neutrons themselves.

The quarks discovered by Gell-Mann were for subatomic particles what was periodic table for chemical elements. For his discovery in 1969, Murray Gell-Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. His classification of the smallest material particles put their entire “zoo” in order.

Although Gell-Manom ​​was confident in the existence of quarks, he did not think that anyone would actually be able to detect them. The first confirmation of the correctness of his theories were the successful experiments of his colleagues conducted at the Stanford linear accelerator. In it, electrons were separated from protons, and a macro photograph of the proton was taken. It turned out that it contained three quarks.

Nuclear forces

Our desire to find answers to all questions about the Universe has led man both inside atoms and quarks and beyond the galaxy. This discovery is the result of the work of many people over centuries.

After the discoveries of Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday, scientists believed that nature has two main forces: gravity and electromagnetism. But in the 20th century, two more forces were discovered, united by one concept - atomic Energy. Thus, the natural forces became four.

Each force operates within a specific spectrum. Gravity prevents us from flying into space at a speed of 1500 km/h. Then we have electromagnetic forces - light, radio, television, etc. Besides this, there are two more forces, the field of action of which is very limited: there is nuclear attraction, which prevents the nucleus from decaying, and there is nuclear power, which emits radioactivity and infects everything, and also, by the way, heats the center of the Earth, it is thanks to it that the center of our planet has not cooled down for several billion years - this is the action of passive radiation, which turns into heat.

How to detect passive radiation? This is possible thanks to Geiger counters. The particles that are released when an atom is split travel into other atoms, creating a small electrical discharge that can be measured. When it is detected, the Geiger counter clicks.

How to measure nuclear attraction? Here the situation is more difficult, because it is this force that prevents the atom from disintegrating. Here we need an atom splitter. You literally need to break an atom into fragments, someone compared this process to throwing a piano down a flight of stairs in order to understand the principles of its operation by listening to the sounds that the piano makes when it hits the steps.(weak force, weak interaction) and nuclear energy (strong force, strong interaction). The last two are called quantum forces, and their descriptions can be combined into something called the standard model. This may be the ugliest theory in the history of science, but it is indeed possible at the subatomic level. The theory of the standard model claims to be the highest, but this does not stop it from being ugly. On the other hand, we have gravity - a magnificent, wonderful system, it is beautiful to the point of tears - physicists literally cry when they see Einstein’s formulas. They strive to unite all the forces of nature into one theory and call it the “theory of everything.” She would combine all four powers into one superpower that has existed since the beginning of time.

It is unknown whether we will ever be able to discover a superpower that would include all four basic forces of Nature and whether we will be able to create a physical theory of Everything. But one thing is for sure: every discovery leads to new research, and humans - the most curious species on the planet - will never stop striving to understand, search and discover.

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 material systems, which 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 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 of electric current that corresponded in intensity to the vibrations of air produced by a given 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.

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Great physicists and their discoveries. Prepared by student 7 “A” of class MBOU secondary school No. 1 Syromyatnikova Yulia

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Isaac Newton (physicist) Born: January 4, 1643 Died: March 31, 1727 (84 years old) English physicist, mathematician, mechanic and astronomer, one of the creators of classical physics. The author of the fundamental work “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”, in which he outlined the law universal gravity and the three laws of mechanics, which became the basis of classical mechanics. He developed differential and integral calculus, color theory, laid the foundations of modern physical optics, and created many other mathematical and physical theories.

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I. Newton's discoveries Isaac Newton was the first to scientifically explain the nature of the colored stripes resulting from the decomposition of sunlight by an optical prism. He believed that white sunlight is the sum of light rays that have different strength refraction. Each such light ray causes a color impression unique to it. When white light passes through glass prisms, it is decomposed into simple colored rays. When passing through a collecting lens, the colored rays decomposed by a prism are collected and again form white light. Finally, having passed colored rays through a second prism, Newton found that they did not decompose further. Newton was the first to arrange the colors of the spectrum in the shape of a circle. He distinguished seven regions in the spectrum, similar to the seven steps of the octave. The terminology used by Newton to refer to the phenomena of color was very precise. He spoke, for example, not of red or green rays, but of light rays that cause the sensation of red or green. It should be noted that after Newton's discoveries, optics began to develop very quickly. He was able to generalize such discoveries of his predecessors as diffraction, double refraction of a beam and determination of the speed of light. But Newton's most famous discovery was the law of universal gravitation. He was also able to prove that gravitational forces apply not only to terrestrial but also to celestial bodies. These laws were described in 1687 after the publication of Newton's book on the use of mathematical methods in physics.

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Galileo Galilei (astronomer) Born: February 15, 1564, Italy, Pisa. Died: January 8, 1642, (age 77), Arcetri. Italian physicist, mechanic, astronomer, philosopher and mathematician, who significant influence on the science of his time. He was the first to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies and made a number of outstanding astronomical discoveries. Galileo is the founder of experimental physics. With his experiments, he convincingly refuted Aristotle's speculative metaphysics and laid the foundation of classical mechanics. During his lifetime, he was known as an active supporter of the heliocentric system of the world, which led Galileo to a serious conflict with the Catholic Church.

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Discoveries of G. Galileo He was the first to use the concept of inertia. He developed coordinate transformations that were named after him. He proved that, contrary to the generally accepted opinion at that time, that the natural state of a body, in addition to rest, is a state of uniform rectilinear movement He was the first to think of using a telescope to observe celestial bodies (he did not invent it) Created a more or less corresponding model solar system

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Albert Einstein (physicist) Born: March 14, 1879 Died: April 18, 1955 (age 76) Theoretical physicist, one of the founders of modern theoretical physics, winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, public figure and humanist. Lived in Germany, Switzerland and the USA. Honorary doctor of about 20 leading universities in the world, member of many Academies of Sciences, including a foreign honorary member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

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Discoveries of A. Einstein Hobbies in physics and mathematics, constant research lead to the publication of a number of articles on static mechanics and molecular physics. Einstein's most famous theory is the theory of relativity. This theory was developed on the basis of Lobachevsky's geometric theory of relativity. Other greatest discoveries of the scientist include work on the photoelectric effect and Brownian motion. Using quantum statistics, Einstein, together with the physicist Bose, discovered a fifth state of matter, named the Bose-Einstein condensate in their honor.

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Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilyevich (Russian scientist) Born: November 19, 1711, Mishanskaya village (now the village of Lomonosovo) Died: April 15, 1765 (53 years old) The first Russian natural scientist of world significance, encyclopedist, chemist and physicist; he entered science as the first chemist who gave physical chemistry a definition very close to the modern one and outlined an extensive program of physical and chemical research; his molecular-kinetic theory of heat largely anticipated the modern understanding of the structure of matter and many fundamental laws, including one of the principles of thermodynamics; laid the foundations of the science of glass. Astronomer, instrument maker, geographer, metallurgist, geologist, poet, philologist, artist, historian and genealogist, champion of the development of domestic education, science and economics. He developed a project for Moscow University, which was later named in his honor.

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Discoveries of M. Lomonosov Lomonosov was especially attracted to chemistry and physics. The Russian scientist takes first place in the world in the history of the law of conservation of energy and mass. It was Lomonosov who in 1748, in his new laboratory, discovered one of the fundamental laws of nature - the law of conservation of matter. This law was published only 12 years later. Lomonosov was the first to formulate the foundations of the kinetic theory of gases, although today many associate this discovery with the name of Bernoulli. Mikhail Vasilyevich argued that any body consists of tiny particles - atoms and molecules, which move more slowly when cooled, and faster when heated. Lomonosov discovered the secret of thunderstorms, the nature of the northern lights, and was even able to estimate their height. He was the author of the conjecture about vertical atmospheric currents and the original theory of colors.

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Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov (scientist) Born: November 25, 1887, Moscow Died: January 26, 1943 (55 years old) Russian and Soviet geneticist, botanist, breeder, geographer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. President, vice-president of the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences, president of the All-Union Geographical Society, founder and permanent director of the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing until the moment of arrest, director of the Institute of Genetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, member of the Expeditionary Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences, member of the board of the People's Commissariat of Agriculture of the USSR, member of the presidium of the All-Union Association of Oriental Studies. In 1926-1935, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, in 1927-1929 - a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, a member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.

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Discoveries of N. Vavilov Creator of the doctrine of world centers of origin cultivated plants and about plant immunity, the law of homological series in the hereditary variability of organisms, a network of scientific institutions in biology and related sciences

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Maria Sklodowska-Curie (physicist - chemist) Born: November 7, 1867, Warsaw Died: July 4, 1934 (66 years old) French experimental scientist of Polish origin, teacher, public figure. Awarded the Nobel Prize: in physics and chemistry, the first two-time Nobel laureate in history. Founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw. Pierre Curie's wife worked with him on radioactivity research. Together with her husband, she discovered the elements radium and polonium.

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Discoveries of M. Sklodowska-Curie Maria Sklodowska-Curie isolated pure metallic radium, proving that it is an independent chemical element. She received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery and became the only woman in the world with two Nobel Prizes.

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Blaise Pascal (physicist - mathematician) Born: June 19, 1623, Clermont-Ferrand Died: August 19, 1662 (age 39) French mathematician, mechanic, physicist, writer and philosopher. A classic of French literature, one of the founders of mathematical analysis, probability theory and projective geometry, creator of the first examples of computing technology, author of the basic law of hydrostatics.

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Discoveries of B. Pascal Pascal devoted twelve years of his short life to the creation of a calculating machine (1640-1652). He invested all his knowledge in mathematics, mechanics, physics, and his talent as an inventor into it. According to Pascal’s sister Gilberte, “this work very tired my brother, but not because of the strain of mental activity and not because of the mechanisms, the invention of which did not cause him special effort, but because the workers did not understand him well." Pascal himself often had to take up a file and a hammer or rack his brains over how to change a complex structure in accordance with the qualifications of the master.

Physics is one of the most important sciences, studied by man. Its presence is noticeable in all areas of life, sometimes discoveries even change the course of history. This is why great physicists are so interesting and significant for people: their work is relevant even many centuries after their death. Which scientists should you know first?

Andre-Marie Ampère

The French physicist was born into the family of a businessman from Lyon. The parents' library was full of works by leading scientists, writers and philosophers. Since childhood, Andre was fond of reading, which helped him gain deep knowledge. By the age of twelve, the boy had already learned the basics of higher mathematics, and at next year presented his work to the Lyon Academy. He soon began giving private lessons, and from 1802 he worked as a teacher of physics and chemistry, first in Lyon and then at the Ecole Polytechnique of Paris. Ten years later he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences. The names of great physicists are often associated with concepts to which they devoted their lives to study, and Ampere is no exception. He worked on problems of electrodynamics. The unit of electric current is measured in amperes. In addition, it was the scientist who introduced many of the terms still used today. For example, these are the definitions of “galvanometer”, “voltage”, “electric current” and many others.

Robert Boyle

Many great physicists carried out their work at a time when technology and science were practically in their infancy, and, despite this, achieved success. For example, a native of Ireland. He did a variety of physical and chemical experiments, developing atomic theory. In 1660, he managed to discover the law of changes in the volume of gases depending on pressure. Many of the greats of his time had no idea about atoms, but Boyle was not only convinced of their existence, but also formed several concepts related to them, such as “elements” or “primary corpuscles.” In 1663 he managed to invent litmus, and in 1680 he was the first to propose a method for obtaining phosphorus from bones. Boyle was a member of the Royal Society of London and left behind many scientific works.

Niels Bohr

Often great physicists turned out to be significant scientists in other fields. For example, Niels Bohr was also a chemist. A member of the Royal Danish Society of Sciences and a leading scientist of the twentieth century, Niels Bohr was born in Copenhagen, where he received his higher education. For some time he collaborated with the English physicists Thomson and Rutherford. Bohr's scientific work became the basis for the creation quantum theory. Many great physicists subsequently worked in the directions originally created by Niels, for example, in some areas of theoretical physics and chemistry. Few people know, but he was also the first scientist to lay the foundations of the periodic system of elements. In the 1930s made many important discoveries in atomic theory. Recognized for achievements Nobel Prize in physics.

Max Born

Many great physicists came from Germany. For example, Max Born was born in Breslau, the son of a professor and a pianist. Since childhood, he was interested in physics and mathematics and entered the University of Göttingen to study them. In 1907, Max Born defended his dissertation on the stability of elastic bodies. Like other great physicists of the time, such as Niels Bohr, Max collaborated with Cambridge specialists, namely Thomson. Born was also inspired by Einstein's ideas. Max studied crystals and developed several analytical theories. In addition, Born created the mathematical basis of quantum theory. Like other physicists, the Great Patriotic War the anti-militarist Bourne categorically did not want to, and during the years of battle he had to emigrate. Subsequently, he will denounce the development of nuclear weapons. For all his achievements, Max Born received the Nobel Prize and was also accepted into many scientific academies.

Galileo Galilei

Some great physicists and their discoveries are associated with the field of astronomy and natural science. For example, Galileo, the Italian scientist. While studying medicine at the University of Pisa, he became familiar with Aristotle's physics and began reading ancient mathematicians. Fascinated by these sciences, he dropped out of school and began writing “Little Scales” - a work that helped determine the mass of metal alloys and described the centers of gravity of figures. Galileo became famous among Italian mathematicians and received a position at the department in Pisa. After some time, he became the court philosopher of the Duke of Medici. In his works, he studied the principles of equilibrium, dynamics, fall and movement of bodies, as well as the strength of materials. In 1609, he built the first telescope with a three-fold magnification, and then with a thirty-two-fold magnification. His observations provided information about the surface of the Moon and the sizes of stars. Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter. His discoveries created a sensation in the scientific field. The great physicist Galileo was not very approved by the church, and this determined the attitude towards him in society. Nevertheless, he continued his work, which became the reason for denunciation to the Inquisition. He had to give up his teachings. But still, a few years later, treatises on the rotation of the Earth around the Sun, created on the basis of the ideas of Copernicus, were published: with the explanation that this is only a hypothesis. Thus, the scientist’s most important contribution was preserved for society.

Isaac Newton

The inventions and statements of great physicists often become a kind of metaphors, but the legend about the apple and the law of gravity is the most famous of all. Everyone is familiar with the hero of this story, according to which he discovered the law of gravity. In addition, the scientist developed integral and differential calculus, became the inventor of the reflecting telescope, and wrote many fundamental works on optics. Modern physicists He is considered the creator of classical science. Newton was born into a poor family, studied at a simple school, and then at Cambridge, while working as a servant to pay for his studies. Already in his early years, ideas came to him that in the future would become the basis for the invention of calculus systems and the discovery of the law of gravity. In 1669 he became a lecturer in the department, and in 1672 - a member of the Royal Society of London. In 1687, the most important work called “Principles” was published. For his invaluable achievements, Newton was given nobility in 1705.

Christiaan Huygens

Like many other great people, physicists were often talented in various fields. For example, Christiaan Huygens, a native of The Hague. His father was a diplomat, scientist and writer; his son received an excellent education in the legal field, but became interested in mathematics. In addition, Christian spoke excellent Latin, knew how to dance and ride a horse, and played music on the lute and harpsichord. Even as a child, he managed to build himself and worked on it. During his university years, Huygens corresponded with the Parisian mathematician Mersenne, which greatly influenced the young man. Already in 1651 he published a work on the squaring of the circle, ellipse and hyperbola. His work allowed him to gain a reputation as an excellent mathematician. Then he became interested in physics and wrote several works on colliding bodies, which seriously influenced the ideas of his contemporaries. In addition, he made contributions to optics, designed a telescope, and even wrote a paper on gambling calculations related to probability theory. All this makes him an outstanding figure in the history of science.

James Maxwell

Great physicists and their discoveries deserve every interest. Thus, James Clerk Maxwell achieved impressive results that everyone should familiarize themselves with. He became the founder of the theories of electrodynamics. The scientist was born into a noble family and was educated at the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge. For his achievements he was admitted to the Royal Society of London. Maxwell opened the Cavendish Laboratory, which was equipped with last word techniques for conducting physical experiments. During his work, Maxwell studied electromagnetism, the kinetic theory of gases, issues of color vision and optics. He also proved himself as an astronomer: it was he who established that they are stable and consist of unbound particles. He also studied dynamics and electricity, having a serious influence on Faraday. Comprehensive treatises on many physical phenomena are still considered relevant and in demand in the scientific community, making Maxwell one of the greatest specialists in this field.

Albert Einstein

The future scientist was born in Germany. Since childhood, Einstein loved mathematics, philosophy, and was fond of reading popular science books. For his education, Albert went to the Institute of Technology, where he studied his favorite science. In 1902 he became an employee of the patent office. During his years of work there, he would publish several successful scientific papers. His first works were related to thermodynamics and interactions between molecules. In 1905, one of the works was accepted as a dissertation, and Einstein became a Doctor of Science. Albert had many revolutionary ideas about electron energy, the nature of light and the photoelectric effect. The theory of relativity became the most important. Einstein's findings transformed humanity's understanding of time and space. Absolutely deservedly he was awarded the Nobel Prize and recognized throughout the scientific world.