The Landscape of the Science in the History (4)

Konrad Roentgen found a new type of penetrating X-rays in 1895. This later led to computer tomography and ultrasonography. In 1901 he received the first ever awarded Nobel Prize for Physics. One of Germany’s most famous scientists.

Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and most famous for developing statistical mechanics, one of the building blocks of modern physics. Boltzmann’s name is also connected to two physical constants (both developed by other scientists), theories, equations and distributions. In 1899 he awarded a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). In later years his lectures on natural philosophy were especially well received.

Through painstaking and lengthy (animal) experiments Robert Koch discovered the spores, bacteria and pathogens of cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, anthrax, sleeping sickness and the plague.

Carl von Linde developed a technical method (the Linde process), which makes the liquefaction of gases and oxygen in large quantities possible. Among other things, this improved refrigeration processes.

John William Strutt (Baron Rayleigh) researched optics, electricity, thermodynamics and wave theory. He prepared the discovery of the noble gases (see Ramsay). Strutt was the first person to explain why the sky is blue, due to light scattering.

Velocity, relative to the speed of sound at 20° C = 343 m/s and defined using a unit in his name: “Mach number”. His contribution to physics included a study of shock waves. Through experimentation Ernst Mach also confirmed the Doppler effect, which was still controversial in his day.

Dmitri Mendeleev provided order to the chaos of the elements by establishing the Periodic Table of chemical elements. Mendeleev divided chemical elements into eight groups and arranged them in order of increasing atomic weight. He predicted 8 elements which he labelled using the prefixes; eka, dvi and tri (from the Sanskrit for 1, 2 and 3). Eka-boron (Eb), eka-aluminium (Ea), eka-manganese (Em) and eka-silicon (Es) turned out to be the properties of Scandium, Gallium, Technetium and Germanium which now fill the spots in the periodic table predicted and assigned by Mendeleev. One of the most famous scientists of all time.

Alfred Nobel invented dynamite along with 355 other patents. He Introduced the world-famous Nobel prizes for various fields after reading his obituary while still alive. Shocked by its lackluster content he set about improving his legacy. Nobelium, a synthetic element, was named after him. One of Sweden’s most famous scientists.

James Maxwell was famous for his Theory of Electromagnetism. Maxwell discovered light is electromagnetic radiation. He made valuable contributions to the theory of gases and heat. Maxwell calculated the average speed of molecules in gases “Maxwell’s Law” along with new insights in optics.

Bernhard Riemann was instrumental in non-Euclidean geometry “parallel axiom“, the general theory of functions and differential equations.

William Kelvin was specialist in thermodynamics. He developed and fixed the Kelvin units temperature scale. Together with James Joule, Kelvin discovered gases under pressure change temperature and that at “absolute zero” (-273 ° C) all particles stop moving.

Gustav Kirchhoff discovered spectral analysis together with Robert Bunsen. This made it possible to detect tiny amounts of an element. Kirchhoff defined the laws of electric circuits and investigated the sun’s thermal radiation.

Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian monk who conducted cross-breeding experiments on peas and beans. His studies revealed new insights into genetic transmission rules. Gregor Mendel’s “Mendelian Laws” made him the father of artificial insemination.

Louis Pasteur worked his whole life with fermentation and putrefaction. He discovered that bacteria are responsible for these processes and that they die when boiled “pasteurization“. Pasteur discovered the anthrax pathogen and a vaccine against rabies. One of the most famous scientists of all time.

Helmholtz examined the fermentation, putrefaction and heat production of living beings. In his book on the Conservation of energy (1847) he showed energy can be transformed, but never lost.

John Tyndall studied diamagnetism. He made discoveries about infrared radiation and the physical properties of air. He also published books about experimental physics and was professor of physics at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, England. He was also a notable mountaineer!

Leon Foucault ascertained the speed of light by bouncing it off a series of rotating mirrors. He showed light in air moves faster than in water. The French physicist also proved Earth’s rotation using what became known as “Foucault’s Pendulum“. He demonstrated the pendulum at the Panthéon, Paris in 1851. Foucault was one of the most famous scientists of all time.

Proved through experimentation that heat is a form of energy which is dependent on resistance, time and current strength. James Prescott Joule also discovered the internal energy of gases (the Joule-Thomson effect).

Maria Mitchell was the very first American female to become a professional astronomer. She discovered a comet in 1847, winning her a gold medal prize presented by King Frederick VI of Denmark. The comet was then named “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.” She was the first American woman to work as a professional astronomer and the first woman to be elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She later fought for equal pay at Vassar College, where she taught until one year before her death.