Physicists and their biography. Great Scientists 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 contradicted the Bible in many ways, for a long time he was persecuted by the Inquisition.

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 this. In addition, the physicist explained many natural phenomena based on 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 twice. Nobel Prize. 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 of 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- Milevoy Marich. 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.

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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 of universal gravitation 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 with different refractive powers. 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 had a significant influence on the science of his time. He was the first to use a telescope for observation 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 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 the time, that the natural state of a body other than rest is a state of uniform rectilinear motion The first to think of using a telescope to observe celestial bodies (he did not invent it) Created more less appropriate model of the 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 his brother, but not because of the strain of mental activity and not because of the mechanisms, the invention of which did not cause him much effort, but because the workers did not understand him well." Pascal often had to take up the file and hammer himself or rack his brains over how to change a complex structure in accordance with the master’s qualifications.

We present to your attention a list of scientists whose worldview was religious. To make the list more “reliable,” we tried our best to avoid including in it people whose worldview there is conflicting information, reports Pravoslavie.fm.

Physics

Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)

Worldview. Catholic. He asserted that “Holy Scripture cannot in any case affirm a lie or be mistaken; his sayings are absolute and undeniably true.”

Contribution to science. Refuted Aristotelian physics. He was the first to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies. He laid the foundations of classical mechanics, basing it on the experimental method, for which he is often called the “father of modern physics.”

Edme Mariotte Edme Mariotte (1620 - 1684)

Worldview. Roman Catholic priest, abbot of the monastery of Saint-Martinsubon.

Contribution to science. One of the founders of the French Academy of Sciences. In 1660 he discovered the so-called. "blind spot" in the human eye. 17 years later, Boyle discovered the law of the relationship between the volume and elasticity of a gas. He developed the theory of impact in mechanics, and also created a ballistic pendulum. Contributed to the development of aerodynamic theory with considerations about the relationship between speed and drag.

Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)

Worldview. Catholic Jansenist. A religious philosopher, Pascal defended the Christian faith, argued with Descartes, argued with the atheists of his time, and condemned the casuistry of the Jesuits who justified vices high society(in “Letters to a Provincial”), author of numerous reflections on philosophical and religious topics. He wrote the work “Thoughts on Religion and Other Subjects,” a collection of ideas in defense of Christianity against criticism from atheists, which includes the famous “Pascal’s Wager.”

Contribution to science. He created a calculating machine-arphmometer. He experimentally refuted the prevailing axiom at that time, taken from Aristotle, that nature is “afraid of the void,” and at the same time formulated the basic law of hydrostatics. In correspondence with Fermat, he laid the foundations of probability theory. He is also at the origins of projective geometry and mathematical analysis.

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)

Worldview. An Anglican, his views are close to the Arian heresy. Newton studied the Bible, and the volume of his texts on the study of Scripture exceeds the volume of scientific texts he wrote. Through his work, Principia Mathematica hoped to encourage thinking people to believe in God.

Pierre Louis de Maupertuis Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698 - 1759)

Worldview. Catholic, philosopher. Voltaire wrote many satires against him, for example, “Doctor Acacius, Papal Physician.” Before his death, the scientist admitted that Christianity “leads man to the greatest good through the greatest possible means.”

Contribution to science. He introduced the concept of the principle of least action into mechanics, and immediately pointed out its universal nature. He was a pioneer in genetics, in particular, some find that his views contributed to the development of the theory of evolution and natural selection.

Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani (1737 - 1798)

Worldview. Catholic. He studied theology, wanted to connect his life with the Church, but chose the path of science. His biographer, Professor Venturoli, speaks about Galvani’s deep religiosity. In 1801, another of his biographers, Alibert, writes about the scientist: “it can be added that in his public demonstrations, he never completed his lectures without calling on his listeners to renew their faith, always drawing their attention to the idea of ​​​​an eternal Providence that develops, preserves and makes life flow among many other kinds of things.”

Contribution to science. He was one of the first to study electrophysiology and “animal electricity”. The phenomenon “galvanism” was named after him.

Alessandro Volta Alessandro Volta (1745 - 1827)

Worldview. Catholic. The dogmas, social life and rituals of the Roman Church formed a large part of Volta's life (culture). His best friends were the clergy. Volta remained close to his brothers, the canon and archdeacon, and was a churched man (practicing, in Catholic terminology). Examples of his religiosity include his flirtation with Jansenism in the 1790s and his 1815 confession of faith, written to defend religion against scientism. In 1794, Volta wrote several letters: to his brothers and to a professor of theology at the University of Pavia, in these letters he asked them for advice about his possible marriage.

Contribution to science. Physicist, invented the chemical battery in 1800. Discovered methane. Found ways to measure charge (Q) and potential (V). Created the world's first chemical current source.

André-Marie Ampère (1775 - 1836)

Worldview. Catholic. The scientist is credited with the following statement: “Study, explore earthly things - this is the duty of a man of science. Explore nature with one hand, and with the other, like a father’s robe, hold on to the hem of God’s robe.” At the age of 18, the scientist believed that there were three culminating moments in his life: “First Communion, reading Antoine Thomas’s eulogy to Descartes, and the storming of the Bastille.” When his wife died, Ampere wrote out two verses from the Psalms and the prayer “O Lord, Merciful God, unite me in Heaven with those whom you allowed me to love on Earth,” at that time he was overwhelmed by strong doubts, and in his free time the scientist read The Bible and the Fathers of the Church.

Contribution to science. Physicist and mathematician. In electrodynamics: he established a rule for determining the direction of action of a magnetic field on a magnetic needle (“Ampere’s rule”), discovered the influence of the Earth’s magnetic field on moving conductors with current, discovered the interaction between electric currents, and formulated the law of this phenomenon (“Ampere’s law”). Contributed to the development of the theory of magnetism: he discovered the magnetic effect of the solenoid. Ampere was also an inventor - it was he who invented the commutator and the electromagnetic telegraph. Ampere also contributed to chemistry with his joint work with Avogadro

Hans Christian Ørsted Hans Christian Ørsted (1777 - 1851)

Worldview. Lutheran (presumably). In his 1814 speech entitled “The Development of Science, Understood as the Task of Religion” (the scientist included this speech in his book The Soul in Nature), in it he writes that this speech includes many ideas that are more developed in other parts of the book, but here they are presented as a whole), Oersted states the following: “we will try to establish our conviction of the existing harmony between science and religion, by showing how a man of science should look at his studies, if he understands them correctly, viz. as the task of religion." What follows is a long discussion that can be found in the book.

Contribution to science. Physicist and chemist. Discovered that electric current creates a magnetic field. The first modern thinker to describe and name a thought experiment in detail. Oersted's work was an important step towards a unified concept of energy.

Michael Faraday Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867)

Worldview. Protestant, Church of Scotland. After his marriage he served as a deacon and churchwarden in one of the meetinghouses of his youth, researchers note that “ strong feeling harmony between God and nature permeated his entire life and work.”

Contribution to science. Contributed to electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Considered the best experimenter and one of the most influential scientists in the history of science. Discovered benzene. He noticed a phenomenon he called diamagnetism. Discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction. His invention of electromagnetic rotators served as the basis for the electric motor. Thanks also to his efforts, electricity began to be used in technology.

James Prescott Joule James Prescott Joule (1818 - 1889)

Worldview. Anglican (presumably). Joule wrote: “A phenomenon of nature, be it mechanical, chemical, life, almost completely transforms into itself over a long period of time. Thus, order is maintained and nothing is out of order, nothing is lost forever, but the whole mechanism, such as it is, works smoothly and harmoniously, all controlled by God's will. He was one of the scientists who signed the "Declaration of Students of Natural and Physical Sciences", written in response to the wave of Darwinism that came to England.

Contribution to science. Formulated the first law of thermodynamics, discovered Joule's Law of heat power when an electric current flows. He was the first to calculate the speed of gas molecules. Calculated the mechanical equivalent of heat.

Sir George Gabriel Stokes Sir George Gabriel Stokes (1819 - 1903)

Worldview. Anglican (presumably). In 1886, he became president of the Victoria Institute, whose goal was to respond to the evolutionary movement of the 60s; in 1891, Stokes gave a lecture at this institute; he was also president of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and was actively involved in missionary issues. Stokes said: “I know of no sound conclusions of science that would contradict the Christian religion.”

Contribution to science. Physicist and mathematician, author of the Stokes theorem, made significant contributions to the development of hydrodynamics, optics and mathematical physics.

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824 - 1907)

Worldview. Presbyterian. Throughout his life he was a devout person, attending church every day. As can be seen from the scientist's speech at the Christian Evidence Society (an organization created to combat atheism in Victorian society), Thompson believed that his faith helped him understand reality, informed him. In the broad sense of the word, the scientist was a creationist, but he was by no means a “flood geologist”; he could be said to support the view known as theistic evolution. He often openly disagreed with Charles Darwin's followers and entered into disputes with them.

Contribution to science. Mathematical physicist and engineer. Formulated the first and second laws of thermodynamics and helped unify the emerging disciplines in physics. He guessed that there was a lower temperature limit, absolute zero. He is also known as an inventor, author of about 70 patents.

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879)

Worldview. Christian of evangelical faith. At the end of his life he became a churchwarden in the Church of Scotland. As a child, he attended services in both the Church of Scotland (his father's denomination) and the Episcopal Church (his mother's denomination); in April 1853, the scientist converted to the evangelical faith, which is why he began to adhere to anti-positivist views.

Contribution to science. Physicist whose main achievement was the formulation of the classical theory of electromagnetism. Thus, he united previously disparate observations, experiments and equations in electricity, magnetism and optics into a single theory. Maxwell's equations show that electricity, magnetism and light are one and the same phenomenon. These achievements of his were called “the second greatest unification in physics” (after the work of Isaac Newton). The scientist also helped develop the Boltzmann-Maxwell distribution, which is a statistical means of describing certain aspects in the kinetic theory of gases. Maxwell is also known as the man who created the first durable color photograph in 1861.

Sir John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming (1849 - 1945)

Worldview. Congregationalist. Fleming was a creationist and rejected Darwin's ideas as atheistic (from Fleming's book Evolution or Creation?). In 1932, he helped found the Evolution Protest Movement. Fleming once preached "what is in the fields" at St. Martin's Church in London, and his sermon was dedicated to the evidence of the Resurrection. Most The scientist bequeathed his inheritance to Christian charitable organizations that helped the poor.

Contribution to science. Physicist and engineer. Considered the father of modern electrical engineering. Formulated two rules known to physics: left and right hands. Invented the so-called Fleming valve

Sir Joseph John Thomson Sir Joseph John Thomson (1856 - 1940)

Worldview. Anglican. Raymond Seager in his book J. J. Thomson, Anglican states the following: “As a professor, Thompson attended the Sunday evening service of the university chapel, and as head of the university, the morning service. Moreover, he took an interest in the Trinity Mission in Camberwell. Respectful of his personal religious life, Thompson consistently prayed every day and read the Bible before bed. He really was a believing Christian!”

Contribution to science. Physicist, discovered the electron and isotope. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906 for “the discovery of the electron and achievements in the field of theoretical and experimental studies of the conductivity of electricity in gases.” The scientist also invented the mass spectrometer, discovered the natural radioactivity of potassium, and showed that hydrogen has only one electron per atom, while previous theories assumed that hydrogen had many electrons.

Max Planck Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (1858 - 1947)

Worldview. Catholic (converted six months before his death), previously a deeply religious deist. In his work “Religion and Natural Science,” the scientist wrote (the quote is given with context, from the beginning of the paragraph: “With such a coincidence, one should, however, pay attention to one fundamental difference. God is given to a religious person directly and primarily. From Him, His omnipotent will comes all life and all phenomena of both the corporeal and spiritual world. Although He is unknowable by reason, He nevertheless directly manifests Himself through the medium of religious symbols, putting His holy message into the souls of those who, by faith, trust in Him. In contrast to this for the natural scientist, only the content of his perceptions and the measurements derived from them is primary. Hence, through inductive ascent, he tries to get as close as possible to God and His world order as the highest, eternally unattainable goal. Consequently, both religion and natural science need faith in God, with In this regard, for religion God stands at the beginning of all thinking, and for natural science - at the end.”

Contribution to science. The founder of quantum physics, which is why he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Formulated Planck's postulate (dark body radiation), an expression for the spectral power density of black body radiation.

Pierre Maurice Marie Duhem (1861 - 1916)

Worldview. Catholic. He often argued with Marcel over religious issues. D. OConnor and E. Robinson in their biography of Duhem argue that his religious views played a large role in determining his scientific views. The scientist also studied the philosophy of science, in his main work he showed that since 1200 science had not been ignored, and that the Roman Catholic Church had encouraged the development of Western science.

Contribution to science. Known for his work on thermodynamics (Gibbs-Duhem relation, Duhem-Margules equation), he also contributed to hydrodynamics and the theory of elasticity.

Sir William Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg (1890 - 1971)

Worldview. Anglican (possibly Anglo-Catholic). Bragg’s daughter wrote about the scientist’s faith: “For W. Bragg, religious faith was the willingness to bet everything on the hypothesis that Jesus Christ was right, and to test this by the experiment of performing a lifelong work of mercy. Reading the Bible was mandatory. Bragg often said that "if I have any style of writing at all, it is due to the fact that I was brought up on the Authorized Version [of the Bible]." He knew the Bible and could usually rattle off “chapter or verse.” Young Professor W. Bragg became churchwarden at St. John's in Adelaide. He also received permission to preach."

Contribution to science. Physicist, Nobel Prize laureate in 1915 for "services to the study of crystals using x-rays." Bragg also created the first instrument for recording diffraction patterns. Together with his son, he developed the basics of a method for determining the structure of crystals from the diffraction pattern of X-rays.

Arthur Holly Compton Arthur Holly Compton (1892 - 1962)

Worldview. Presbyterian. Raymond Seeger, in his article “Compton, Christian Humanist,” published in The Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, writes the following: “As Arthur Compton grew older, so did his horizons, but it was always a clear Christian view of the world. . Throughout his life, the scientist was active in church affairs, from teaching Sunday school and serving as a church warden to positions on the Presbyterian Board of Education. Compton believed that humanity's fundamental problem, the inspiring meaning of life, lay outside science. According to a 1936 Times magazine report, the scientist was briefly a deacon in the Baptist Church.

Contribution to science. The physicist was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1927 for his discovery of the Compton effect. Invented a method for demonstrating the rotation of the Earth.

Georges Lemaître Monseigneur Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître (1894 - 1966)

Worldview. Catholic priest (since 1923). Lemaitre believed that faith could be an advantage for a scientist: “As science passes through the mere stage of description, it becomes true science. She also becomes more religious. Mathematicians, astronomers and physicists, for example, are very religious people, with few exceptions. The deeper they penetrate into the mystery of the Universe, the deeper becomes their conviction that the force behind the stars, electrons and atoms is law and goodness.”

Contribution to science. A cosmologist, the author of the theory of the expanding Universe, Lemaitre was the first to formulate the relationship between the distance and speed of galaxies and proposed in 1927 the first estimate of the coefficient of this relationship, now known as the Hubble constant. Lemaître's theory of the evolution of the world from the "primordial atom" was ironically called the "Big Bang" by Fred Hoyle in 1949. This name, "Big Bang", has historically been fixed in cosmology.

Werner Karl Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg (1901 - 1976)

Worldview. A Lutheran, although towards the end of his life he was considered a mystic, since his views on religion were not orthodox. The author of the saying: “The first sip from the glass of natural science is taken by an atheist, but God awaits at the bottom of the glass.”

Contribution to science. Winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize for the creation of quantum mechanics. In 1927, the scientist published his uncertainty principle, which brought him worldwide fame.

Sir Neville Mott Sir Nevill Francis Mott (1905 - 1996)

Worldview. Christian. Here is the scientist’s statement: “I believe in a God who can answer prayers, in whom we can trust, and without whom life on Earth would be meaningless (a fairy tale told by a madman). I believe that God has revealed Himself to us in many ways, through many men and women, and for us in the West the clearest revelation is through Jesus Christ and those who followed him.”

Contribution to science. In 1977 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his “fundamental theoretical studies of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems.”

Nikolai Nikolaevich Bogolyubov (1909 - 1992)

Worldview. Orthodox. A. Bogolyubov writes about him: “The entire body of his knowledge was a single whole, and the basis of his philosophy was his deep religiosity (he said that non-religious physicists can be counted on one hand). He was a son of the Orthodox Church and whenever time and health allowed him, he went to vespers and mass at the nearest church.”

Contribution to science. He proved the theorem “about the sharpness of the wedge” and created, together with N. Krylov, the theory of nonlinear oscillations. Created consistent theory superconductivity. In the theory of superfluidity he derived kinetic equations. He proposed a new synthesis of Bohr's theory of quasiperiodic functions.

Arthur Leonard Schawlow Arthur Leonard Schawlow (1921 - 1999)

Worldview. Methodist. Henry Margeno cites the following statement of the scientist: “And I see the need for God both in the Universe and in my life.” When the scientist was asked if he was a religious person, he replied: “Yes, I was raised a Protestant and I was in several denominations. I go to church, a very good Methodist church.” The scientist also stated that he is an orthodox Protestant.

Contribution to science. Physicist, received the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his “contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy.” In addition to optics, Shavlov also explored such areas of physics as superconductivity and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Abdus Salam Mohammad Abdus Salam (محمد عبد السلام‎) (1926 - 1996)

Worldview. A Muslim from the Ahmadi community. In his Nobel speech, the scientist quotes the Koran. When the Pakistani government passed a constitutional amendment declaring members of the Ahmadiyya community non-Muslims, the scientist left the country in protest.

Contribution to science. In 1979 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his theory of unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions. Some of his main achievements were also: the Pati-Salam model, magnetic photon, vector mesons, work on supersymmetry.

Charles Hard Townes Charles Hard Townes (b. 1915)

Worldview. Protestant (United Church of Christ). In a 2005 interview with The Guardian, the scientist said he was "raised Christian, and while my ideas have changed, I've always felt like a religious person." In the same interview, Townes stated: "What is the science? Science is an attempt to understand how the Universe works, including human race. What is religion? It is an attempt to understand the purpose and meaning of the Universe, including the human race. If there is this purpose and meaning, then it must be interconnected with the structure of the Universe and how it works (...) Therefore, faith must teach us something about science and vice versa.”

Contribution to science. One of the creators of quantum electronics, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for “fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which led to the creation of emitters and amplifiers based on the laser-maser principle.” In 1969, together with other scientists, he discovered the so-called. “maser effect” (radiation of cosmic water molecules at a wavelength of 1.35 cm), together with a colleague, he was the first to calculate the mass of the black hole in the center of our galaxy. The scientist also made contributions to nonlinear optics: he discovered Mandelstam-Brillouin stimulated scattering, introduced the concept of the critical power of a light beam and the phenomenon of self-focusing, and experimentally observed the effect of autocollimation of light.

Freeman John Dyson Freeman John Dyson (b. 1923)

Worldview. A non-denominational Christian, although Dyson's views can be described as agnostic (in one of his books he wrote that he does not consider himself a practicing Christian, but only a practicing one, and stated that he does not see the point in a theology that claims to know the answers to fundamental questions) . The scientist vigorously disagrees with reductionism, so, in his Tempelton lecture, Dyson said: “Science and religion are two windows through which people look, trying to understand the Universe, to understand why they are here. These two windows offer different views, but they look at the same Universe. Neither of them is complete, they are both one-sided. Both exclude significant parts of the real world."

Contribution to science. Theoretical physicist and mathematician, known for his work in quantum electrodynamics, astronomy and nuclear engineering.

Anthony Hewish Antony Hewish (b. 1924)

Worldview. Christian. From a letter to T. Dmitrov: “I believe in God. It seems senseless to me that the Universe and our existence are just an accident on a cosmic scale and that life arose as a result of random physical processes, simply because favorable conditions developed for this. As a Christian, I begin to understand the meaning of life thanks to faith in the Creator, Whose nature was partially revealed in Man, born 2000 years ago.”

Contribution to science. In 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his “determining role in the discovery of pulsars.”

Arno Allan Penzias Arno Allan Penzias (born 1933)

Worldview. Jew, in Jerry Bergman's book the following quote is given by the scientist: “The best data we have is what I would be able to predict if I had only the Pentateuch of Moses, the book of Psalms and the entire Bible in front of me.” In his speeches, the scientist often said that he saw meaning in the Universe, and pointed out the reluctance of the scientific community to accept the Big Bang Theory, since it points to the creation of the world.

Contribution to science. Physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976 for the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. Using a maser, I solved the problem of increasing the accuracy of antenna tuning.

Joseph Taylor, Jr. Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr. (born 1941)

Worldview. Quaker. The scientist’s worldview is known from the book by István Hargitay, when asked “Could you tell us about your attitude towards religion?” The scientist responded as follows: “My family and I are active members of the religious community of Friends, that is, the Quaker community. Religion is an important part of our lives (especially for my wife and I; for our children to a lesser extent). My wife and I often spend time with other believers in our community; it helps us become more aware of our attitude towards life, reminds us of why we are on Earth and what we can do for others. Quakers are a group of Christians who believe in the possibility of direct communication between man and the Spirit, whom we call God. Reflection and self-contemplation helps to communicate with this Spirit and learn a lot about yourself and how to live on Earth. Quakers believe that wars cannot resolve differences and that lasting results are achieved through peaceful resolution of problems. We have always refused and refuse to participate in war, but we are ready to serve our country in other ways. We believe that there is something Divine in every person, therefore human life is sacred. You need to look for the depth of spiritual presence in people, even in those with whom you disagree.”

Contribution to science. Physicist, awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for “the discovery of a new type of pulsar, which provided new opportunities in the study of gravity.”

William Daniel Phillips William Daniel Phillips (b. 1948)

Worldview. Methodist. One of the founders of the International Society for Science and Religion. Known for his frequent participation in the dialogue between "faith and science". In his autobiography on the Nobel Prize website, Phillips writes: “In 1979, after Jane (the scientist’s wife) and I moved to Gasersburg, we joined the United Methodist Church (...) Our children were our inexhaustible a source of blessing, adventure and challenge. At the time, Jane and I were trying to find new jobs, and having children required a delicate balance between work, home, and church life. But somehow, our faith and our youthful energy carried us through these times.”

Contribution to science. Physicist, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for “the development of methods for cooling and trapping atoms with a laser beam.”

Mathematics

René Descartes (1596 - 1650)

Worldview. Catholic. One of the reasons for writing his “Meditations” was the defense of the Christian faith; in particular, in one of the chapters, Descartes formulated a new ontological proof of the existence of God; he also wrote: “In a sense, we can say that without knowing God, one cannot have reliable knowledge of nothing."

Contribution to science. Mathematician, created the Cartesian coordinate system and laid the foundations of analytical geometry. The first mathematically derived the law of refraction of light at the boundary of two different media.

Pierre de Fermat Pierre de Fermat (1601 - 1665)

Worldview. Catholic.

Contribution to science. Mathematician, creator of number theory, author of Fermat's Last Theorem. The scientist formulated the general law of differentiation of fractional powers. Founded analytical geometry(along with Descartes), applied it to space. He stood at the origins of probability theory.

Christian Huygens Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 1695)

Worldview. Protestant of the Reformed Church. When the French monarchy stopped tolerating Protestantism in 1881 (revocation of the Edict of Nantes), Huygens left the country, although they wanted to make an exception for him, which testifies to his religious beliefs.

Contribution to science. The first president of the Farntsuz Academy of Sciences, he served for 15 years. Discovered the theory of evolutes and involutes. He invented a pendulum clock and published a classic work on mechanics, “Pendulum Clock.” He derived the laws of uniformly accelerated freely falling bodies and formulated thirteen theorems on centrifugal force. Together with Fermat and Pascal, he laid the foundations of probability theory. He discovered Saturn's moon Titan and described the rings of Saturn, discovered an ice cap on South Pole Mars. He invented a special eyepiece, consisting of two flat-convex lenses, named after him. The first called for choosing a universal natural measure of length. Simultaneously with Wallis and Rehn, he solved the problem of the collision of elastic bodies.

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646 - 1716)

Worldview. The Christian is presumably a Protestant. He spoke out against theological orthodoxy, and against materialism and atheism. He created his own philosophical doctrine, the so-called. Leibniz's monadology, which was close to deism and pantheism.

Contribution to science. Predetermined mathematical analysis and combinatorics. Laid the foundations of mathematical logic and combinatorics. He took a very important step towards the creation of a computer; he was the first to describe the binary number system. He was the only person who worked freely with both continuous and discrete ones. For the first time he formulated the law of conservation of energy. Created a mechanical calculator (together with H. Huygens).

Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler (1707 - 1783)

Worldview. Christian. He believed in the inspiration of Scripture, argued with Denny Diderot about the existence of God, and wrote an apologetic treatise “Defense of Divine Revelation from the Objections of Freethinkers.”

Contribution to science. It is often said that from the point of view of mathematics, the 18th century is the century of Euler. Many people call him the greatest mathematician of all times, Euler was the first to link analysis, algebra, trigonometry, number theory and other branches of mathematics into a single system; listing all his discoveries by name is impossible due to the format of this section.

Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauß (1777 - 1855)

Worldview. Lutheran. Although Gauss did not believe in a personal God and was considered a deist, it can be argued that he had a religious worldview, for example, he believed in the immortality of the soul and life after death. According to Dunnington, Gauss believed in an immortal, righteous, omniscient and omnipotent God. With all his love for mathematics, Karl Friedrich never absolutized it, he said: “There are problems to the solution of which I would attribute infinitely greater importance compared to mathematical problems, for example, problems related to ethics, or our relationship to God, or concerning our destiny and our future; but their solution lies entirely beyond our limits and absolutely beyond the scope of science.”

Contribution to science. The scientist is often called the King of Mathematics (lat. Princeps mathematicorum), this reflects his invaluable and vast contribution to the “queen of sciences”. Thus, in algebra, Gauss came up with a rigorous proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra, discovered the ring of integers complex numbers, created the classical theory of comparisons. In geometry, the scientist contributed to differential geometry, for the first time dealt with the internal geometry of surfaces: he discovered the characteristic of a surface (named in his honor), proved the fundamental theorem of surfaces, Gauss also created a separate science - higher geodesy. Dunnington claimed that Gauss was the first to study non-Euclidean geometry, but was afraid to publish his results, considering them meaningless. IN mathematical analysis Gauss created the theory of potential and studied elliptic functions. The scientist was also interested in astronomy, where he studied the orbits of small planets and found a way to determine orbital elements from three complete observations. Many of his students later became great mathematicians. The scientist also studied physics, where he developed the theory of capillarity and the theory of lens systems, and also laid the foundations for the theory of electromagnetism, and designed (together with Weber) the first primitive electric telegraph.

Bernard Bolzano Bernard Placidus Johann Nepomuk Bolzano (1781 - 1848)

Worldview. Catholic priest. In addition to his scientific research, Bolzano also dealt with theological and philosophical issues.

Contribution to science. Bolzano's work contributed to the formation of strict definitions of analysis using "epsilon" and "delta". In many areas of mathematics, the scientist was a pioneer, ahead of his time: even before Cantor, Bolzano studied infinite sets; using geometric considerations, the scientist obtained examples of continuous, but nowhere differentiable functions. The scientist put forward the idea of ​​the arithmetic theory of the real number, in 1817 he proved the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem (independent of the latter, who discovered it half a century later), the Bolzano-Cauchy theorem.

Augustin Louis Cauchy Augustin Louis Cauchy (1789 - 1857)

Worldview. Catholic. He was close to the Jesuit Order, was a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Augustin often had difficulties with colleagues because of his views.

Contribution to science. He developed the basis of mathematical analysis, for the first time strictly defined the limit, continuity, derivative, integral, convergence of a series in mathematical analysis, introduced the concept of convergence of a series, created the theory of integral residues, laid the foundations of the mathematical theory of elasticity, and made significant contributions to other fields of science.

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871)

Worldview. Anglican (presumably). Convincedly defended the authenticity of biblical miracles in an era when people were increasingly moving away from the Christian worldview.

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Man began studying the laws of nature several thousand years ago. The lack of necessary equipment, times of religious dictatorship, difficult access to education for people without significant wealth - all this could not stop the progress of scientific thought. Famous physicists from around the world were able to learn how to transmit information over long distances, obtain electricity and much, much more. Which names are most significant to history? Let's list a few of the most outstanding specialists.

Albert Einstein

The future scientist was born in March 1879 in the city of Ulm, Germany. Albert's ancestors lived in Swabia for several hundred years, and he himself lived until his very last days preserved the memory of their heritage - spoke with a slight South German accent. Educated in public school, and then at the gymnasium, where from the very beginning he preferred natural sciences and exact sciences. By the age of 16, he had mastered everything necessary to enter the university, but failed the language exam. Nevertheless, he soon became a student at the Polytechnic University in Zurich.

His teachers were famous physicists and mathematicians of the time, for example, Herman Minkowski, who in the future would come up with an excellent formula for expressing the theory of relativity. Einstein spent most of his time in the laboratory or reading the works of Maxwell, Kirchhoff and other leading experts in the field. After studying, Albert was a teacher for some time, and then became a technical expert at the patent office, over the years of work in which he published many of his famous works, which made him famous throughout the world. He changed people's understanding of space, created a formula that converts mass into a form of energy, and studied molecular physics in depth. His success was soon awarded the Nobel Prize, and the scientist himself moved to the USA, where he worked until the end of his days.

Nikola Tesla

This inventor from Austria-Hungary is perhaps the most famous physicist in the world.

His eccentric character and revolutionary discoveries made him famous and inspired several writers and directors to use his image in their work. He was born in July 1856 and from an early age, like many other famous physicists, began to show his penchant for the exact sciences. Over the years of his work, he discovered the phenomenon of alternating current, fluorescent light and wireless energy transmission, developed remote control and a method of treating with current, created an electric clock, a solar engine and many other unique devices for which he received more than three hundred patents. In addition, it is believed that the famous physicists Popov and Marconi invented radio, but Tesla was the first. Modern electrical power engineering is entirely based on his personal achievements and discoveries. One of Nikola’s most striking experiments was the transmission of current over fifty kilometers. He managed to light two hundred light bulbs without any wires, building a huge tower from which lightning flew and thunder could be heard throughout the area. A spectacular and risky undertaking became his By the way, films often demonstrate precisely this experience.

Isaac Newton

Many famous physicists made significant contributions, but Newton was something of a pioneer.

Its laws are the basis of many modern ideas, and at the time of their discovery it was a truly revolutionary achievement. The famous Englishman was born in 1643. Since childhood, he was interested in physics, and over the years he also wrote works on mathematics, astronomy, and optics. He was the first to formulate the elementary laws of nature, which greatly influenced the works of his contemporaries. It is not surprising that he was admitted to the Royal Society of London, and for some time he was its president.

Lev Landau

Like many other famous physicists, Landau showed himself most clearly in the theoretical sphere. The legendary Soviet scientist was born in January 1908, in the family of an engineer and a doctor. He studied brilliantly at school and entered a Baku university, where he began studying physics and chemistry. By the age of nineteen, he had already published four scientific papers. A brilliant career was devoted to the study of quantum states and density matrices, as well as electrodynamics. Landau's achievements were awarded the Nobel Prize; in addition, the Soviet scientist received several titles of Hero of Socialist Labor, was an honorary member of the Royal Society of London and several foreign Academies of Sciences. Collaborated with Heisenberg, Pauli and Bohr. The latter influenced Landau especially strongly - his ideas manifested themselves in theories about the magnetic properties of free electrons.

James Maxwell

When compiling a list that would include the most famous physicists in the world, one cannot fail to mention that Clerk Maxwell was a British scientist who developed classical electrodynamics. He was born in June 1831, and by 1860 he had become a member of the Royal Society of London. Maxwell created the country's first physical laboratory with professional equipment. There he studied electromagnetism, the kinetic theory of gases, optics, elasticity and other topics. He was one of the first to create a device for quantitatively measuring colors, later called the Maxwell disk.

In his theories he generalized everything known facts electrodynamics and introduced the concept of displacement current, which generates a magnetic field. Maxwell expressed all the laws in four equations. Their analysis allows us to clearly demonstrate patterns that were previously unknown.

Igor Kurchatov

A famous nuclear physicist from the USSR also deserves mention. Igor Kurchatov grew up in Crimea and graduated from high school and university there. In 1924 he began the department of physics at the Polytechnic Institute of Azerbaijan, and a year later he was hired in Leningrad. For his successful study of dielectrics he was awarded a doctorate.

Under his leadership, the cyclotron was put into operation already in 1939. conducted work on nuclear reactions and headed the Soviet atomic project. Under his leadership, the first nuclear power plant was opened. Kurchatov created the first Soviet nuclear and thermonuclear bomb. For his achievements he received several state awards and medals.

Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan

Municipal educational institution secondary school No. 1 s. Askino

Abstract on the topic:

Great scientists.

Completed by: student of class 10A

Ziyazov Almaz

Supervisor : Khakimova F.M.

Askino - 2007

PLAN

1. Amedeo Avogadro
2. Niels Bohr
3. Andre Marie Ampere
4. Daniel Bernoulli
5. Ludwig Boltzmann
6. Alexander Volt
7. Galileo Galilei
8. Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
9. Robert Hooke
10. Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky
11. Charles Augustin Pendant
12. Igor Vasilievich Kurchatov
13. Lev Davidovich Landau
14. Petr Nikolaevich Lebedev
15. Emily Khristianovich Lenz
16. Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov
17. James Clerk Maxwell
18. Isaac Newton
19. Georg Simon Ohm
20. Blaise Pascal
21. Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck
22. Ernest Rutherford
23. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
24. Alexander Grigorievich Stoletov
25. Michael Faraday
26. Benjamin Franklin
27. Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky
28. Albert Einstein
29. Hans Christian Oersted

Talent is the ability to find your own destiny.

Thomas Mann. What were they like, looking at us now from portraits?

· Minions of fate?

· Fighters in the name of science?

· Scientists "crackers"? All knowledgeable and understanding sages?

· Did you make your discoveries despite or thanks to circumstances?

· They showed their aptitude for science back in early childhood, didn’t think of yourself as anything other than a physicist?

· During your childhood, you didn’t show any hope; rather, on the contrary, were you withdrawn, uncommunicative, living in your own world?

· Did you begin to study issues related to physics far from your youth?

· They devoted only a few years of their life to physics; it was not their main occupation?

· The selection offered below can serve as material for conferences, elective classes, and can be used incidentally in a regular lesson if the teacher feels that what has been said will be important for one of his students.

Amedeo AVOGADRO (1776-1856)

His full name is Lorenzo Romano Amedeo Carlo Avoga-ro di Quaregna e di Cerreto. The third of eight children of a judicial employee, whose ancestors date back to the 12th century. were in the service of the Catholic Church. The position was inherited. At the age of twenty, Amedeo received the degree of Doctor of Church Law. The twenty-five-year-old lawyer began to devote all his free time to physical and mathematical sciences.

Niels Bohr (1885-1962)

From the family of a professor of physiology at the University of Copenhagen. Among the parents' friends were musicians, writers, and artists. It was an open house where Nils and his brother Harold (one year younger) tried to develop self-confidence and instill respect for knowledge, work, and other people. At school, Nils was considered a capable student, at the university - a capable student. He participated in a circle for discussing scientific and philosophical problems, and was fond of football. The brothers were even members of the Danish national team and became famous throughout the country before gaining scientific fame. When Niels Bohr became a Nobel laureate, Danish sports newspapers published headlines: “Our goalkeeper was given the Nobel Prize.”

Andre Marie AMPERE (1775-1836)

There was, as they say, late child in the family of a Lyon silk merchant. Exceptional abilities manifested themselves at an early age. He quickly learned to read and do arithmetic. I read everything (my father had a good library). One day he was found reading an encyclopedia.

What are you reading, Andre? - asked the father.

“I’m reading an article about aberration,” answered the eleven-year-old child. And he outlined the essence of this complex phenomenon.

I never went to school and never completed a classical course of study. He studied Latin himself, because that was the only way he could read the things that interested him. “Do you know how roots are calculated?” - asked the visiting mathematics teacher. “No, but I know how to integrate!” - the boy answered. Ampere's heyday as a scientist was in 1814-1824, i.e. by the age of forty.

Daniel BERNOULLI (1700-1782)

At the age of sixteen he received a master's degree in philosophy. Around the same time, he began to study mathematics under the guidance of his older brother (Daniel is a representative of the famous Bernoulli dynasty of scientists). At twenty-one he was awarded the degree of licentiate in medicine. He began to study hydrodynamics, which brought him fame, when he was closer to forty years old.

Ludwig BOLZMANN (1844-1906)

Born in Vienna. Father is an official of the Imperial Ministry of Finance. From childhood I was interested in mathematics and natural science. At the gymnasium he was considered capable and hardworking. I enjoyed playing music. His favorite composer was Beethoven, his favorite poet was Schiller. At nineteen he entered the University of Vienna. From that moment on, his active scientific and teaching activities began.

Alexander Volt (1745-1827)

He was born on a family estate where his ancestors lived for many centuries. The parents believed that the child was developing abnormally: short in stature and unable to speak. He was considered mute until he uttered his first word at the age of four: “No!” He studied at the school of the Jesuit Order. As an eighteen-year-old boy, he was already rapidly corresponding with the most prominent electrical physicist of that time, the Reverend Abbot Nolle. Volta's heyday as a scientist was between the ages of forty-five and fifty.

Galileo GALILEO (1564-1642)

His father wanted the boy to become a doctor, so he sent him to study at the University of Pisa. However, seventeen-year-old Galileo did not particularly like medicine. He left the university and began to study mathematics and mechanics seriously. At twenty-two, he wrote serious scientific works, for example, about the center of gravity of bodies. At twenty-five years old he is a teacher at the University of Pisa. The position of professor of mathematics was honorary, but poorly paid.

Heinrich Rudolf HERZ (1857-1894)

I studied well at the gymnasium. He adored all subjects without exception - equally physics and Arabic. He loved to write poetry and turn figures on a lathe. They say that when Hertz became a famous scientist, his turning mentor remarked with regret: “It’s a pity. He would make an excellent turner." Whatever he undertook, everything worked out. Heinrich Hertz was the son of a senator. When he was born, the doctors unanimously stated that he was not long for this world. Illnesses haunted him all thirty years of his life.

Robert Hooke (1635-1703)

Born into the family of a church rector on the Isle of Wight (England). The father wanted his son to also become a priest. But the boy's health was so poor that he could not even go to primary school with his peers. He devoted his leisure time to designing various mechanisms. Such a serene life was cut short at the age of thirteen - her father died. Hooke became an apprentice to a London painter. Soon I decided that without special training He draws quite well, but the smell of paint gave him a headache. He left painting and went to school to prepare for university. Studied Greek, Latin, Euclid geometry. At eighteen, he is a student at Oxford University. He made his living as a chorister in a church and as an assistant to a chemist, who recommended him to a young aristocrat passionate about science, Robert Boyle.

Unfortunately, there is no portrait of Hooke, not only at an early age, but not a single one at all: in a fit of jealousy, I. Newton, after Hooke’s death, ordered the destruction of all his portraits (he considered Hooke his rival in science). The above portrait is a reconstruction of the scientist’s appearance based on descriptions of his contemporaries.

Nikolai Egorovich ZHUKOVSKY (1847-1921)

At the age of eleven he was sent from his parents’ Vladimir estate to study at the 4th Moscow gymnasium. Starting from the 3rd grade, he stood out as the best student in algebra, geometry and natural sciences. Foreign languages ​​were difficult for him, especially Latin and German. I loved experiments in physics. He made various models and devices. After graduating from high school, he planned to enter the St. Petersburg Institute of Railway Engineers, following in his father’s footsteps. Studying there was expensive - the family could not afford such expenses. My father advised me to enter Moscow University, the Faculty of Mathematics. It was very difficult for sixteen-year-old Nikolai. From a letter to his mother at that time: “... And it’s time to think, and seriously, about myself, I’m no longer a child. When graduating from university, there is no other goal than to become a great person, and this is so difficult: there are so many candidates for the name of the great...” Zhukovsky’s dream of becoming an engineer came true in adulthood.

Charles Augustin PENDANT (1736-1806)

He entered military service immediately after graduating from school. Passed engineering training. He built defensive structures on the island of Martinique. At the same time with military service conducted scientific research. His name became famous in the scientific world by the age of forty.

Igor Vasilievich KURCHATOV (1903-1960)

His youth came during the years of revolution and civil war. He studied at the gymnasium of the city of Simferopol. He played the mandolin in the orchestra. The family was of more than average income. While studying, he worked part-time in a mouthpiece workshop and mastered plumbing. The mathematics teacher at the gymnasium prophesied a great future for him, and so did the literature teacher. He entered the Tauride University, graduating from the gymnasium with a gold medal. True, they could not give him a medal: there was a war going on. A student, a seventeen- to eighteen-year-old youth, he worked wherever he could to survive in these hungry years: on the construction of a railway line, as a watchman, even as a teacher.

Lev Davidovich LANDAU (1908-1968)

He became a high school student at the age of eight, entered the Baku Economic College at twelve, and graduated two years later. At the age of fourteen, he was a student at Baku University. Many modern schoolchildren at this age are just beginning to get acquainted with physics.

He learned to differentiate at the age of twelve, to integrate at the age of thirteen, he spoke German and French quite fluently, and by the age of twenty he had learned English. He loved to read, but hated writing essays. There were always problems with the literature teacher. Once I received a one for an essay about Eugene Onegin and wrote without a single mistake: “Tatyana was a rather boring person.”

Pyotr Nikolaevich LEBEDEV (1866-1912)

Born in Moscow, in the family of an employee of a tea trading company. His father decided to send him to a commercial school, saying: “I would rather see my son as a practical man in China than as a scoundrel in Moscow.” The son reads popular scientific and technical literature, helps the physics teacher with demonstrations of experiments, and persuades his father (a wealthy man) to purchase some electrical appliances. He installs an electric bell in the apartment himself. Back then it was considered a miracle of technology! The father's hopes of making his son his worthy business heir were crumbling. The fourteen-year-old boy was allowed to enter a real school, and then the Moscow Technical School (now the Bauman Technical University). Lebedev was always an average student. Experiments and various inventions at home took a lot of time and effort. His father encouraged romantic interests in girls and bought him a boat and a racehorse. But the desire to become an engineer was overwhelming. At the age of seventeen, he writes: “I will not fall in love, otherwise everything will go to waste and I will have to go to the office” (i.e. become a business person).

Emilius Christianovich LENZ (1804-1865)

Russian physicist from the city of Dorpat (Tartu). Then it was Russian empire. Dropped out of university to go on a three-year trip around the world. Conducted geographical research. According to their results, at the age of twenty-four he became an adjunct of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, and at the age of twenty-six - an academician. He took up the reorganization of the physics laboratory and his own physical research.

Mikhail Vasilievich LOMONOSOV (1711-1765)

Born near the town of Kholmogory, in a peasant family. Almost all local residents were engaged in marine fishing. From the age of ten, Mikhail began to take part in voyages with his father. He learned to read at the age of twelve from a local sexton. He read all the books available to him. The thirst for knowledge turned out to be so strong that already as an adult, nineteen years old (and he had been working since he was ten!), he went to Moscow to study. The twenty-year-old “uncle” was sitting at a desk with schoolchildren, students of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. He lived in dire need: “Having an altyn per day of salary, it was impossible to have more for food per day than a coin for bread and a coin for kvass, etc. for paper, for shoes and other needs.” Training at the academy was designed for 13 years. In the first year, Lomonosov managed to complete three classes, and in 5 years - the entire course.

James Clerk MAXWELL (1831-1879)

His childhood was happy. The three-year-old child explored everything around him. How can the ringing of a bell to call the servants be transmitted through a wire to other rooms? Riddle! He had extremely kind, wise and attentive parents. In one of the letters, the boy’s mother writes that the words: “Show me how it’s done,” constantly accompany him. His mother died when James was eight years old. At first he did not show much success at school. He was only interested in the geometry of oval lines using two needles and thread. The method was reported at a meeting of the Royal Scientific Society and approved by the most famous scientists. At sixteen he entered the University of Edinburgh, and at nineteen he moved to Cambridge.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727)

He was born small and frail, but lived eighty-five years without being sick any more than usual. He was considered a capable child and had an excellent memory. Loved tinkering. For example, he made a mill, the wheel of which was driven by a mouse; lanterns, sun and water clocks. kites, which lit up in the air, scared the neighbors. I read a lot. His family wanted him to become a farmer, perhaps a priest. But, from childhood, an unsociable, touchy young man who loved solitude decided to take up science seriously. At the age of eighteen he was a student at Cambridge, and at the age of twenty-two (unusually early!) he received a bachelor's degree. He did his most significant works at a relatively young age. I have never left England, never traveled more than 200 km from Cambridge.

Georg Simon OM (1787-1854)

Born into a family of a mechanic. The father attached great importance to the education of children. Although the family was constantly in need, Georg studied - first at the gymnasium, and then at the university. However, at the behest of his father, who believed that his son paid too much attention to entertainment, Om had to interrupt his studies and begin teaching mathematics in one of the private schools in Switzerland. Only at the age of twenty-four did he manage to pass the university exams. Georg Ohm became interested in physics later.

Blaise PASCAL (1623-1662)

The father developed a system of raising children (there were two more daughters in the family besides Blaise), which excluded the exact sciences. He was afraid that his early enthusiasm for mathematics and natural sciences would interfere with his harmonious development. For example, the boy learned about “forbidden” geometry at the age of twelve. Physics became his area of ​​interest by the age of thirty.

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig PLANCK (1858-1947)

Born into the family of a civil law professor. The boy studied at the Munich Gymnasium and intended to become a musician or linguist. Subsequently, he played a duet (piano part) with Einstein, who performed the violin part. Physics attracted his attention in high school.

One of the teachers at the University of Munich dissuaded Planck from connecting his interests specifically with theoretical physics. There, they say, everything is already known, all that remains is to clarify the details.

Ernest RUTHERFORD (1871-1937)

The fourth child of a New Zealand small farmer who had eight other children. The father was not able to educate all his children, and Rutherford, from childhood to higher education, studied all the time on a scholarship. Lively, active, cheerful, he loved hunting and sports. At school and university he played as a forward on the football team. Loved to read. As a boy, he made his own camera, which was quite difficult in those days.

In 1891, as a twenty-year-old student, at a meeting of the Scientific Society he made a report “On the Evolution of Matter,” where he expressed completely revolutionary thoughts: all atoms consist of the same particles. The report was met with very disapproval. He had to apologize to the Scientific Society.

Wilhelm Conrad RENTGEN (1845-1923)

The scientist who received the first Nobel Prize did not have a school certificate. He was expelled from school. Someone drew a caricature of the teacher on the board, and he believed that it was the work of Roentgen. He did not receive a certificate and when he tried to pass the exams as an external student, his examiner turned out to be the same teacher. About entering higher education educational institution, now it was impossible to even dream. By chance, a twenty-year-old young man learns that a new Polytechnic Institute has opened in the Swiss city of Zurich, where students are accepted (i.e., a certificate is not required). It was there that he entered the mechanical engineering faculty.

Alexander Grigorievich Stoletov (1839-1896)

Born into the family of a poor Vladimir merchant - the owner of a grocery store. Learned to read at the age of four. Since the age of five, reading has been my favorite pastime. He wrote poetry and published a handwritten journal with his friends at the gymnasium. He studied music, and at one time even wanted to become a professional musician. In the last years of studying at the gymnasium, physics and mathematics became my favorite subjects. They determined the future fate. The seventeen-year-old boy became a student at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow University (at government expense, i.e., upon graduation, he had to work for six years “in the educational department of the Ministry of Public Education”).

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

Born in London, in the family of a blacksmith. Received only primary education. At the age of twelve he began working as a newspaper delivery boy and as an apprentice in a bookbinding shop. Self-taught, read a lot.

Benjamin FRANKLIN (1706-1790)

Political figure. In America, to this day he is one of the most revered people in US history. His work on electricity was done over a short period of time, from 1747 to 1753. That is, he devoted seven years to physics, already in adulthood. Thanks to him, we now use a lightning rod and the concepts of “positive” and “negative” charges. Anyone can see Franklin's portrait on the $100 bill.

Konstantin Eduardovich TSIOLKOVSKY (1857-1935)

Born into the family of a forester. Besides him there are twelve more children. At the age of nine he fell ill with scarlet fever and, as a result of complications, partially lost his hearing. This affected his entire future life. He found himself isolated from the rest of the children, he was teased, he could not study at school (he could not hear the teacher). Two years later, the mother dies. From now on, his world is books. From the age of fourteen or fifteen I became interested in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and astronomy. At the age of sixteen he left for Moscow, where he lived for three years, spending the very little money he received from home, mainly on books. Then, returning home, he earned money by tutoring. At the age of twenty-two, he passed the exams for the title of teacher as an external student. The brilliant, self-taught scientist, who was far ahead of his time, later recalled that deafness always made his pride suffer, alienated him from people, left him alone with his thoughts.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

As a child, he learned to speak so slowly that he was almost considered mentally retarded. Still, his mother made ambitious plans for his future. She was neither gentle nor tolerant, and Einstein's childhood was marked by her domineering nature. He himself recalled that he was a lonely and dreamy child, had difficulty communicating with peers, and avoided noisy games. He loved to build complex structures from cubes and houses of cards up to fourteen floors high. He was subject to fits of rage, but in his normal state he was almost inhibited. His apathy worried his parents. He started learning to play the violin at the age of five. Music became his spiritual need throughout his life. At school I encountered anti-Semitism. At the age of eleven he experienced a period of ardent religious faith, which gave way to a period of passion for scientific and technical literature. Although he learned new information rather slowly in childhood, he did not have any particularly serious problems at school. Weak point There was only physical education. His Greek teacher made history by saying that Einstein would never amount to anything.

He really did not become a specialist in ancient languages. All my life I hated militarism. He renounced his German citizenship to avoid being drafted into the army at the age of seventeen.

According to my own recollections, at the age of sixteen I began to wonder how it was possible (and whether it was even possible) to catch up with a ray of light moving across the sky.

Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851)

Born into the family of a poor pharmacist. There wasn’t much money for education, so together with my brother Anders I studied wherever I could: at the hairdresser - German language, the hairdresser's wife - Danish, the pastor - grammar, history and literature, the land surveyor - mathematics. A visiting student once spoke about the properties of minerals. At the age of twelve he was already standing behind the counter of his father’s pharmacy. Nevertheless, once at the University of Copenhagen, he began to study everything at once: medicine, physics, astronomy, philosophy, poetry. Got twenty years old gold medal for the essay “The Boundaries of Poetry and Prose.” Oersted came to physics later.

Literature

1. Azernikov V.Z. Physics. Great discoveries. - M.: OLMA-press, 2000.

2. Golin G.M., Filonovich SR. Classics of physical science. - M.: graduate School, 1989.

3. Wonderful scientists. - Library "Quantum". 1980.

4. Lishevsky V.P. Hunters for truth. - M.: Nauka, 1990.

5. They created physics. - M.; Bureau "Quantum", 1998.

6. Khramov Yu.A. Physicists. -M.: Nauka, 1983.