Richard-Feynman

Richard-FeynmanRichard Feynman is among the most famous and influential scientists of the 20th century. He has discovered many things in physics, especially quantum mechanics. His work in quantum mechanics is considered to be revolutionary which got him Nobel Prize in 1965.

Early Life

Richard Phillips Feynman was born in New York City in the year 1918, but his parents originally belonged to present time Belarus. During childhood, Feynman was not able to speak on time, but it took him around 3 years to speak a few words. From childhood, Feynman always loved to repair and build something from scratch, and later he built his home laboratory for experiments. After progressing through his early education, Feynman built a burglar alarm system and installed it in his home.

When Feynman became 15 years old, he started self-study before entering into a college and learned advanced algebra, calculus, and geometry. Feynman applied for the admission at Columbia University but was not able to secure a seat due to the limited quota for Jews. Later on, he got admission at MIT with a major in mathematics, but soon he turned towards electrical engineering and then physics. Feynman got his Ph.D. in 1942 from Princeton with the thesis “The Principle of Least Action in Quantum Mechanics”.

Richard Feynman also worked in Manhattan Project whose purpose was to build an atomic bomb. After the famous Manhattan Project, he also worked in other projects and developed the solutions to problems in the theory of quantum electrodynamics which got him Nobel Prize in 1965. Richard Feynman died in 1988 due to abdominal cancer.

Discoveries and Contributions

Richard Feynman had contributed many things to quantum physics and worked in many projects. Some of the most important contributions that he made are:

  • Manhattan Project – During World War II, Richard Feynman was appointed in one of the teams of Manhattan Project whose job were to obtain weapon grade Uranium-235. He also became group leader of his team due to his hard work. Furthermore, he along with Bethe developed a formula, called Bethe-Feynman Formula, to determine how much yield the fission bomb will give.
  • Quantum Electrodynamics – Richard Feynman worked on quantum electrodynamics and solved certain problems. His work on quantum electrodynamics also got him Noble Prize along with his two partners in 1965.
  • Superfluidity – Lev D. Landau was a theoretical physicist who developed the theory of superfluidity based on the frictionless property of liquid helium at absolute zero. Richard Feynman provided Mr. Landau the explanation on superfluidity of helium.

Facts

  • Sister of Richard Feynman also became a physicist after getting motivation from the brother.
  • Feynman had a van whose number plate had been licensed to include word “quantum”.
  • Feynman liked acting and performed a role in “Anti-Clock” movie.
Stephen-Hawking

Stephen-HawkingStephen Hawking is among the most famous scientists in the 21st century whose works on physics were revolutionary in science. He worked on black holes and removed the misconception that black holes can’t die. He also provided a link that unites both quantum theory and theory of relativity.

Early Life

Stephen Hawking was born in the year 1942 in a family that was well educated and respected. His father and mother both studied from Oxford University and were famous in their professions. His father was a researcher in the field of biology, whereas his mother was a political activist.

Stephen Hawking was among the average students during his early education. His interest in science increased when he won a scholarship in Natural Science. He went to University College, Oxford, from where he received a bachelor’s degree in physics with 1st class. After his graduation, Hawking went to the University of Cambridge for Ph.D.

Suffering from ALS Disease

During his Ph.D. at Cambridge, Hawking’s experienced certain health issues in which hawking was not able to speak clearly. He sometimes fell on the ground without any reason. So he went to doctors for diagnosis, and he was found to have a disease called Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this disease, the motor nerves that control our muscular movements don’t work properly, which seizes the movement of the body. When he was first diagnosed, doctors found that Hawking will not live for more than two years.

Despite predictions of doctors, Stephen Hawking lived his complete life but with the help of modern science. His diseases became worse over time and he was not able to speak or move his body parts. With such severe conditions, hawking yet gave lectures and worked on discovering the universe. Stephen Hawking was 76 years old when he died on the 14th of March 2018 due to the ALS disease.

Discoveries and Contributions

Stephen Hawking is one of those scientists who suffered very hard times during their lifetime, but yet made revolutionary discoveries. Some of the most important discoveries and contributions that he made were:

Hawking Radiation

Stephen Hawking was very much interested in exploring the universe and understand its working. He spent most of his time researching space-time and wrote many research papers on it. He also researched on black holes and developed equations which describe that black holes also emit certain radiation, called hawking radiation, which decreases the energy of black holes. Before this idea, scientists believed that no object or radiation could escape the immense gravity of black holes. Due to the emission of hawking radiation, black holes can shrink and become disappear.

A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking wrote many books in his lifetime, and one of the most famous books that he wrote is “A Brief History of Time”. This book was so famous that, millions of copies were sold in a span of a few years. Hawking wrote this book in a way that, an average person can easily understand it. The book covers a wide range of subjects, some of which are the big bang, space and time, forces of nature, and black holes.

Facts

  • Stephen Hawking took more than 40 hours to prepare a lecture of 45 minutes due to the severity of his disease.
  • Stephen Hawking Married second time, after the divorce with his first wife.
  • He had traveled to space and experienced zero gravity after the training from NASA.
Nikola-Tesla

Nikola-TeslaNicola Tesla is one of the most famous electrical engineers who invented many things, such as a wireless electrical transmission system (experimental) and AC transmission system. The most important invention that is made is the transmission of electricity by alternating current, which solved the problem of transmitting electric power to very large distances.

Early Life

Nikola Tesla was born in the year 1856 in the Republic of Croatia. He grew up with his four siblings and got interested in electricity from his childhood. His mother was the main cause of his interest in electricity because she worked developing some electric appliances during her free time. His father tried to make him a priest, but his interest was only in learning science.

When Tesla completed his early education, he applied in the Austrian Polytechnic College for studying electrical engineering. He also got admission in a University for studying electrical engineering further. Unfortunately, he couldn’t complete more than a term at the university because his father died.

After leaving university, Tesla found a job in a telegraph company and was appointed as an electrician. Due to his hard work, he got quick promotions and became an electrical engineer in the same company. Tesla worked several years in the telegraph company and then he decided to move to the U.S.A. In the U.S.A, Tesla got a job in the company of Thomas Edison – a famous inventor.

After some time, Tesla had to leave Edison’s company due to some reasons and joined another company. In this entire period Tesla also invented many things, and one of which is induction motor. Tesla was in New York when he died due to the heart attack in 1943.

Inventions and Contributions

Nikola Tesla has invented many things and the number of patents that are registered on his name is more than 300. Some of the most important and famous inventions that he made are:

Alternating Current

Before the invention of alternating current, the standard for transmitting the electricity was based on Edison’s DC (direct current) system. Transmitting electricity by using DC system had many problems, such as losses in lines, difficulty in changing voltage level (e.g. 110v to 220v). Tesla understood the problem of DC transmission system and came up with the development of AC (alternating current) transmission system.

Alternating current (AC) has many advantages over direct current (DC) because it could be easily be used to increase or decrease voltage level by using electric transformers. By using the AC system, the losses of the line that carries electricity over large distances can be reduced by increasing the voltage level to hundreds of kilovolts. Today, AC transmission system is used all over the world for providing electric power to people.

Induction Motor

Induction motors are very common in house pumps and electric fans that run on AC supply. Induction motor was invented by Tesla so that it can run on his newly developed alternating current. Initially, Tesla developed a polyphase induction motor that required multiple phases from power lines to work. Tesla patented his newly developed invention in 1888.

Facts

  • Tesla followed the polyphasic cycle of sleep, in which he slept 4 to 5 times a day with a sleep time of 1 hour or less.
  • Tesla had a brilliant memory which allowed him to memorize books for longer periods of time.
  • Tesla had certain ideas for the military interest that are still classified.
Michael-Faraday

Michael-FaradayMichael Faraday has played a vital in developing laws of electromagnetic induction, which are used in electric generators and transformers. For this reason, he is also called the father of electricity because today all generators in power stations work on his discovered principles.

Early Life

Michael Faraday belonged to a poor family and was born in the year 1791 in London. His father, James, had a workshop where he worked as a blacksmith. He got his early education from a school which he joined at the age of 13 years. Faraday also has to work as a part-time delivery boy for earning money and to support his family. He was very hardworking and became a bookbinder in the same shop.

Michael Faraday was also very interested in reading books in the shop where he worked. By reading books on various subjects, he also read some books on science. His interest in science increased gradually and then he read mostly science books. He also became interested in doing the experiments from the science books. For this, he spent a part of his income for purchasing chemicals and equipment for experiments.

Faraday’s interest in science took another step forward when a person came to his shop and offered him a ticket of Royal Institution. The ticket was for attending a lecture of the great scientist at that time, Sir Humphry Davy. Faraday joined the lecture and wrote the notes of 300 pages from experiments that Sir Humphry Davy performed. He then sent a copy of his notes to Sir Humphry Davy as a gift which later became a cause for his employment under Sir Humphry Davy. He became the laboratory assistant of Sir Humphry Davy and got the opportunity to work on advanced experiments. In the Royal Institution, he had discovered many things and after many years he finally became a professor.

Discoveries and Contributions

Michael Faraday has discovered many laws and physical phenomena. Some of his famous discoveries and contributions are:

  • Electromagnetic Rotation – When Faraday found that a physicist, Hans Christian Oersted, has discovered that when an electrical current passes near a compass, it changes the direction of the compass from actual north. Faraday began to work on that phenomenon and made a device which rotated like a motor when electrical current passed through the wires.
  • Benzene – Benzene is an organic substance, also called aromatic compound, which was discovered by Michael Faraday.
  • Electromagnetic Induction – It is one of the most important discoveries in the history of science. Electromagnetic induction is a phenomenon that occurs when changing magnetic field causes the production of electrical current in the nearby conductors. The law of electromagnetic induction is very important in developing electrical generators and electrical transformers.
  • Laws of Electrolysis – Electrolysis is process in which chemicals dissolved in a liquid breaks down when an electric current is passed through the liquid with the help of electrodes. Faraday’s laws of electrolysis are important in defining the reaction happening at the electrodes.

Facts

  • Michael Faraday never got a formal education on science, but he learned science by reading books and doing experiments.
  • The first electric generator that produced electricity with the help of magnets was made by Michael Faraday.
  • The Bank of England released a £20 bill with Faraday’s picture to give the honor in 1991.
Alexander-Graham-Bell

Alexander-Graham-BellTelephones are one of the most important inventions that allow us to talk with friends and family member living very far from us. The credit for the invention goes to a great inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. He was interested in the science of sound and always wanted to somehow send sound waves over the electrical wire to a great distance.

Early Life

Alexander Graham Bell was born in the Bell family of Edinburg in Scotland in the year 1847. His father was a professor, but he got the education at his home until he became 11 years old. Then, he enrolled in the royal school of Edinburg and continued his academics for 4 years. He had a special interest in the field of science and didn’t perform well in other subjects. At the age of 15 years, young Bell was moved to London and was home-schooled by his grandfather for one year. Then, he again joined a high school to continue his studies further. During that time, Graham Bell also made a talking robot with his brother. The robot worked by blowing air through a windpipe and spoke some words.

In 1870, Graham Bell became 23 year old and at that time his two brother became seriously ill due to tuberculosis disease. He lost his two brothers and became the only surviving child of his parents. His father was moved to Ontario, Canada with his family. After about 2 years, Bell opened a school of mechanics of speech and vocal psychology in Boston for teaching deaf people to speak. He was very expert in the field of vocal psychology and was offered the position of professor at Boston University without any degree requirement.

Invention of Telephone

Graham-Bell-is-sending-his-first-wordsAlexander Graham Bell always wanted to send his voice with the help of electricity from one place to another. Because he was an expert in the science of sound, he began experimenting on a device that could send voice signals on wires. He needed some money for the development of a telephone, which he luckily got from some wealthy investors. He also hired an assistant, Thomas Watson, to help him in building the telephone. Graham Bell became successful in sending his voice on telegraph wires in 1876 by converting the sound waves into electrical waves. The first words that Mr. Bell spoke from his mouth to send them electrically were “Mr. Watson come here, I want to see you”.

When Graham Bell reached patent office for registering the patent of the telephone, he found that there were some inventors who also came with a similar idea. But, he was able to register his patent before anyone else that was about to transform our world. In 1877, Graham Bell opened a company, Bell Telephone Company, today which is called AT&T. Graham Bell became very rich from his invention and continued to improve his invention further.

Facts

  • Graham Bell also invented several other things, some of which are metal detector, audiometer, and a device for finding icebergs.
  • When Graham Bell died, people silenced all the telephones in North America for a moment to present him the honor.
  • Wife and mother of Graham Bell had a problem in listening to sound.