classical period
Thales -624 to -547
The father of Western Philosophy, or Science...
Pythagoras -582 to -497
Almost all belief in the usefulness (or reality, for the extremists) of pure form and mathematics originates with Pythagoras and his followers.
Heraclitus -540 to -480
Accommodates the sensory information that suggests that change is everywhere. See more in HW.
Parmenides -510 to 0
One of those from Elea, in Italy (the "Eleatics"). Believed that any impression of change is illusory—that Reality is constant and eternal. See more in HW.
Democritus -460 to -352
With his teacher, Leucippus, postulated the existence of a mechanical, atomistic explanation for the world. Crucial and controversial: his introduction of the "void" or "vacuum" as an essential feature.
Plato -427 to -347
One of the most influential Greeks, influencing mathematics, educating Aristotle, and providing much of the formal dogma of the early Christian church.
Aristotle -384 to -322
The greatest influence on physics before Copernicus and Galileo.
Aristarchus -310 to -230
Mathematician and responsible for many calculations of distances...also an originator of a workable heliocentric model of the solar system.
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Aristarchus.html
Claudius Ptolemy 87 to 150
The paradigm example of "saving appearances" is Ptolemy's epicycle model of the motions of the planets. It lasted in its original form for nearly 1500 years as described in his classic book. (He's also the first cast member to have a first and last name.)
The father of Western Philosophy, or Science...
Pythagoras -582 to -497
Almost all belief in the usefulness (or reality, for the extremists) of pure form and mathematics originates with Pythagoras and his followers.
Heraclitus -540 to -480
Accommodates the sensory information that suggests that change is everywhere. See more in HW.
Parmenides -510 to 0
One of those from Elea, in Italy (the "Eleatics"). Believed that any impression of change is illusory—that Reality is constant and eternal. See more in HW.
Democritus -460 to -352
With his teacher, Leucippus, postulated the existence of a mechanical, atomistic explanation for the world. Crucial and controversial: his introduction of the "void" or "vacuum" as an essential feature.
Plato -427 to -347
One of the most influential Greeks, influencing mathematics, educating Aristotle, and providing much of the formal dogma of the early Christian church.
Aristotle -384 to -322
The greatest influence on physics before Copernicus and Galileo.
Aristarchus -310 to -230
Mathematician and responsible for many calculations of distances...also an originator of a workable heliocentric model of the solar system.
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Aristarchus.html
Claudius Ptolemy 87 to 150
The paradigm example of "saving appearances" is Ptolemy's epicycle model of the motions of the planets. It lasted in its original form for nearly 1500 years as described in his classic book. (He's also the first cast member to have a first and last name.)
medieval period
Roger Bacon 1214 to 1292
Roger Bacon was one of the first to understand the importance of experimentation, and not just relying on the authority built into Scholasticism. He was also the perfect example of, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
Roger Bacon was one of the first to understand the importance of experimentation, and not just relying on the authority built into Scholasticism. He was also the perfect example of, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
renaissance period
Nicole d' Oresme 1323 to 1382
A cleric and canon of the Cathedral of Rouen, and eventually the chaplain to King Charles of France. He was the first to prove the Merton school theorem on "uniform difform motion."
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Oresme.html
Nicholas Copernicus 1473 to 1543
Astronomer who proposed the first systematic non-Ptolemaic model of the solar system.
Tycho deBrahe 1546 to 1601
The foremost astronomer since Ptolemy, producing precise tables of positions for hundreds of stars and the planets over two decades.
Frances Bacon 1561 to 1626
The originator of the British dependence on experiment and the one responsible for bringing induction back to the toolkit of natural philosophy. Universally hailed as the single most responsible thinker for stimulating the scientific research efforts that culminated in the establishment of the British Royal Society.
Galileo Galilei 1564 to 1642
This is the beginning of modern physics, indeed, we tend to think of Galileo as the "father" of same. (We seem to have lots of "fathers" going on here...) This is not so much for his astronomy, but for the work he did in mechanics, in particular kinematics. Here is the Rice University Galileo Project. Also, his notes from his days at Padua are available on the web from the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Firenze.
The complete history of it all is documented by the premier Galileo scholar, Stillman Drake. His legendary Galileo at Work, His Scientific Biography is nearly a day-by-day account of Galileo's scientific life.
Johannes Kepler 1571 to 1630
Responsible for the last gasp of medievalisms...and the first full breath of modern physics with his mathematization of the motions of the planets and his insistence on investigating the "forces" that are responsible for the regularities that he observed.
Rene Descartes 1596 to 1650
The "father of western philosophy" was responsible for much in philosophy, mathematics, and physics. His method of "Cartesian doubt" was a new way of establishing "reliable" knowledge. The beginning of modern Rationalism. (More to come when we meet him mathematically and scientifically.)
A cleric and canon of the Cathedral of Rouen, and eventually the chaplain to King Charles of France. He was the first to prove the Merton school theorem on "uniform difform motion."
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Oresme.html
Nicholas Copernicus 1473 to 1543
Astronomer who proposed the first systematic non-Ptolemaic model of the solar system.
Tycho deBrahe 1546 to 1601
The foremost astronomer since Ptolemy, producing precise tables of positions for hundreds of stars and the planets over two decades.
Frances Bacon 1561 to 1626
The originator of the British dependence on experiment and the one responsible for bringing induction back to the toolkit of natural philosophy. Universally hailed as the single most responsible thinker for stimulating the scientific research efforts that culminated in the establishment of the British Royal Society.
Galileo Galilei 1564 to 1642
This is the beginning of modern physics, indeed, we tend to think of Galileo as the "father" of same. (We seem to have lots of "fathers" going on here...) This is not so much for his astronomy, but for the work he did in mechanics, in particular kinematics. Here is the Rice University Galileo Project. Also, his notes from his days at Padua are available on the web from the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Firenze.
The complete history of it all is documented by the premier Galileo scholar, Stillman Drake. His legendary Galileo at Work, His Scientific Biography is nearly a day-by-day account of Galileo's scientific life.
Johannes Kepler 1571 to 1630
Responsible for the last gasp of medievalisms...and the first full breath of modern physics with his mathematization of the motions of the planets and his insistence on investigating the "forces" that are responsible for the regularities that he observed.
Rene Descartes 1596 to 1650
The "father of western philosophy" was responsible for much in philosophy, mathematics, and physics. His method of "Cartesian doubt" was a new way of establishing "reliable" knowledge. The beginning of modern Rationalism. (More to come when we meet him mathematically and scientifically.)
enlightenment period
Robert Boyle 1627 to 1691
Yup, another "father," this time of Chemistry. But also a pioneer experimenter in physics and co-founder of the Royal Society. With his assistant, Robert Hooke, he did the first experiments on vacua, measuring biological, physics, and thermodynamic effects of items in a vacuum. In particular, he studied the variation of pressure and volume at equal temperatures which resulted (later) in "Boyle's Law," that PV is proportional to Temperature.
Christian Huygens 1629 to 1695
Dutch mathematician (geometry) and physicist...contemporary and friendly competitor of Newton and intellectual descendent of Descartes. Responsible for wave theory of light, momentum conservation in collisions, lens-making and astronomical discoveries.
John Locke 1632 to 1704
The "father of British Empiricism" was the first modern to analyze what we can know from the perspective of empiricism. Responsible for the notion that all knowledge is brought to an originally empty slate of a mind only by the senses.
Robert Hooke 1635 to 1703
Mathematician, experimental physicist, microscopist, architect, astronomer, biologist, geologist, surveyor, engineer, chemist, naval engineer, inventor, President of the Royal Society, assistant to Robert Boyle...and incredible pain to Isaac Newton.
Isaac Newton 1642 to 1727
Singularly, the most accomplished mathematician and physicist...perhaps, ever.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz 1646 to 1716
Competitor of Newton, co-inventor of the Calculus and popularizer and extender of Newtonian mechanics, especially as regarding the notion of (modern term:) kinetic energy, what he called variously the "Active (sic) Force" and the "vis viva." He was always in service to German royalty or the aristocracy as a librarian or historian. He was a notable philosopher and traveled widely. He was a correspondent with Huygens, the Royal Society, and indeed, Newton.
Daniel Bernoulli 1700 to 1782
Mathematician and physicist responsible for the theory (which we did not discuss) called the Bernoulli Effect describing the flow of fluids through pipes and holes. He worked out the original theory of the kinetic theory of gasses. He was a part of a hugely disfunctional mathematical family, constantly publicly feuding with one another. From the St Andrews site of mathematical biographies:
The 1737 prize of the Paris Academy also had a nautical theme, the best shape for a ship's anchor, and Daniel Bernoulli was again the joint winner of this prize, this time jointly with Poleni. Hydrodynamica was published in 1738 but, in the following year Johann Bernoulli published Hydraulica which is largely based on his son's work but Johann tried to make it look as if Daniel had based Hydrodynamica on Hydraulica by predating the date of publication on his book to 1732 instead of its real date which is probably 1739. This was a disgraceful attempt by Johann to gain credit for work which was not his and at the same time to discredit his own son and shows the depths to which the bad feeling between them had reached.
David Hume 1711 to 1776
The original skeptic, taking empiricism to its logical conclusion and concluding that we really have only ideas and impressions with which to describe our environment. His criticism of our ability to know of a relationship between cause and effect was particularly effective, as was his persuasive insistence that induction cannot be justified as a route to knowledge.
Thomas Young 1773 to 1829
Genius physician, physicist, archeologist, linguist who performed the definitive experiment showing that the wave theory of light was likely correct.
Augustine Fresnell 1788 to 1827
Engineer who proposed the transverse wave theory of light in order to explain polarization.
Michael Faraday 1791 to 1867
The "father" of electrochemistry, but for physicists, also the first cousin of the idea of the Field as a real entity propagating electric and magnetic influences across space. Known for many studies, the Faraday Effect is the named phenomenon of the change of a magnetic field producing an induced potential difference.
Yup, another "father," this time of Chemistry. But also a pioneer experimenter in physics and co-founder of the Royal Society. With his assistant, Robert Hooke, he did the first experiments on vacua, measuring biological, physics, and thermodynamic effects of items in a vacuum. In particular, he studied the variation of pressure and volume at equal temperatures which resulted (later) in "Boyle's Law," that PV is proportional to Temperature.
Christian Huygens 1629 to 1695
Dutch mathematician (geometry) and physicist...contemporary and friendly competitor of Newton and intellectual descendent of Descartes. Responsible for wave theory of light, momentum conservation in collisions, lens-making and astronomical discoveries.
John Locke 1632 to 1704
The "father of British Empiricism" was the first modern to analyze what we can know from the perspective of empiricism. Responsible for the notion that all knowledge is brought to an originally empty slate of a mind only by the senses.
Robert Hooke 1635 to 1703
Mathematician, experimental physicist, microscopist, architect, astronomer, biologist, geologist, surveyor, engineer, chemist, naval engineer, inventor, President of the Royal Society, assistant to Robert Boyle...and incredible pain to Isaac Newton.
Isaac Newton 1642 to 1727
Singularly, the most accomplished mathematician and physicist...perhaps, ever.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz 1646 to 1716
Competitor of Newton, co-inventor of the Calculus and popularizer and extender of Newtonian mechanics, especially as regarding the notion of (modern term:) kinetic energy, what he called variously the "Active (sic) Force" and the "vis viva." He was always in service to German royalty or the aristocracy as a librarian or historian. He was a notable philosopher and traveled widely. He was a correspondent with Huygens, the Royal Society, and indeed, Newton.
Daniel Bernoulli 1700 to 1782
Mathematician and physicist responsible for the theory (which we did not discuss) called the Bernoulli Effect describing the flow of fluids through pipes and holes. He worked out the original theory of the kinetic theory of gasses. He was a part of a hugely disfunctional mathematical family, constantly publicly feuding with one another. From the St Andrews site of mathematical biographies:
The 1737 prize of the Paris Academy also had a nautical theme, the best shape for a ship's anchor, and Daniel Bernoulli was again the joint winner of this prize, this time jointly with Poleni. Hydrodynamica was published in 1738 but, in the following year Johann Bernoulli published Hydraulica which is largely based on his son's work but Johann tried to make it look as if Daniel had based Hydrodynamica on Hydraulica by predating the date of publication on his book to 1732 instead of its real date which is probably 1739. This was a disgraceful attempt by Johann to gain credit for work which was not his and at the same time to discredit his own son and shows the depths to which the bad feeling between them had reached.
David Hume 1711 to 1776
The original skeptic, taking empiricism to its logical conclusion and concluding that we really have only ideas and impressions with which to describe our environment. His criticism of our ability to know of a relationship between cause and effect was particularly effective, as was his persuasive insistence that induction cannot be justified as a route to knowledge.
Thomas Young 1773 to 1829
Genius physician, physicist, archeologist, linguist who performed the definitive experiment showing that the wave theory of light was likely correct.
Augustine Fresnell 1788 to 1827
Engineer who proposed the transverse wave theory of light in order to explain polarization.
Michael Faraday 1791 to 1867
The "father" of electrochemistry, but for physicists, also the first cousin of the idea of the Field as a real entity propagating electric and magnetic influences across space. Known for many studies, the Faraday Effect is the named phenomenon of the change of a magnetic field producing an induced potential difference.
modern period
James Prescott Joule 1818 to 1889
Amateur scientist - discovered the relationship among work, heat, and energy that became the expression of the First "Law" of Thermodynamics.
James Clerk Maxwell 1831 to 1879
The person responsible for putting Faraday's "lines of force" on a firm mathematical basis in the form of the vector field. Maxwell's Equations succinctly describe all of electromagnetic phenomena and incorporate his "displacement current" as the missing ingredient which force solutions to those equations as wave-like undulations that couple the electric and magnetic fields together through the velocity of light. In essence, Maxwell unified electricity, magnetism, and optics into one single theory.
Ludwig Boltzmann 1844 to 1906
Viennese theoretical physicist whose work on the kinetic theory of gasses and his use of fixed-energy, statistical models revolutionized the field of thermodynamics (now referred to as "Statistical Mechanics") and created a fixed place in physics for statistical ideas.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen 1845 to 1923
Discoverer of X-Rays.
Antoine-Henri Becquerel 1852 to 1908
Professor at the Ecole Polytechnique and expert on phosphorescence ...discovered radioactivity.
Albert Michelson 1852 to 1931
Expert at measuring precisely optical phenomena of all kinds, he and Edward Morley attempted to measure the speed of the luminiferous ether as the earth moved through it. (It was "known" that the earth did not drag the ether along with it in its orbit because of the observation of stellar aberration.) The results of the Michelson Morley Experiments were uniformly confusing: they showed no effect of the ether motion.
Henrik Antoon Lorentz 1853 to 1928
Called "The King of Electromagnetics." Lorentz was a huge figure for the extension of Maxwell's theories and the beginnings of electron theory. His consideration of the algebraic properties of Maxwell's Equations and his attempts to understand the null results of the Michelson-Morely experiments led him to a set of transformations on space and time coordinates that are now called the Lorentz Transformations. The Lorentz Force is now considered basically a part of Maxwell's Equations, but is the only piece of that theory that deals with specifically particulate charged particles.
J. J. Thompson 1856 to 1940
JJ Thompson found and measured the e/m ratio for what he declared were particulate constituents of cathode rays - the electron. He was the Director of the Cavendish Laboratory and the mentor to many distinguished physicists, notably Rutherford and Bohr (briefly).
Heinrich Hertz 1857 to 1894
The German physicist (extraordinary experimental and theoretical physicist) who first discovered Maxwell's electromagnetic waves and that they propagated at the speed of light. He also first observed the photoelectric effect.
Max Planck 1858 to 1947
The originator of the idea that light from a blackbody radiator is quantized into bundles of energy of value E = hf, where h is Planck's Constant, h = 6.55×10-34 J-s.
Pierre Curie 1859 to 1906
Co-discoverer of Piezoelectricity, the loss of magnetism in ferromagnetic materials at high temperature, and isolation of Radium and Polonium, and quantitative measurement of the properties of radioactivity with his wife, Marie.
Amateur scientist - discovered the relationship among work, heat, and energy that became the expression of the First "Law" of Thermodynamics.
James Clerk Maxwell 1831 to 1879
The person responsible for putting Faraday's "lines of force" on a firm mathematical basis in the form of the vector field. Maxwell's Equations succinctly describe all of electromagnetic phenomena and incorporate his "displacement current" as the missing ingredient which force solutions to those equations as wave-like undulations that couple the electric and magnetic fields together through the velocity of light. In essence, Maxwell unified electricity, magnetism, and optics into one single theory.
Ludwig Boltzmann 1844 to 1906
Viennese theoretical physicist whose work on the kinetic theory of gasses and his use of fixed-energy, statistical models revolutionized the field of thermodynamics (now referred to as "Statistical Mechanics") and created a fixed place in physics for statistical ideas.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen 1845 to 1923
Discoverer of X-Rays.
Antoine-Henri Becquerel 1852 to 1908
Professor at the Ecole Polytechnique and expert on phosphorescence ...discovered radioactivity.
Albert Michelson 1852 to 1931
Expert at measuring precisely optical phenomena of all kinds, he and Edward Morley attempted to measure the speed of the luminiferous ether as the earth moved through it. (It was "known" that the earth did not drag the ether along with it in its orbit because of the observation of stellar aberration.) The results of the Michelson Morley Experiments were uniformly confusing: they showed no effect of the ether motion.
Henrik Antoon Lorentz 1853 to 1928
Called "The King of Electromagnetics." Lorentz was a huge figure for the extension of Maxwell's theories and the beginnings of electron theory. His consideration of the algebraic properties of Maxwell's Equations and his attempts to understand the null results of the Michelson-Morely experiments led him to a set of transformations on space and time coordinates that are now called the Lorentz Transformations. The Lorentz Force is now considered basically a part of Maxwell's Equations, but is the only piece of that theory that deals with specifically particulate charged particles.
J. J. Thompson 1856 to 1940
JJ Thompson found and measured the e/m ratio for what he declared were particulate constituents of cathode rays - the electron. He was the Director of the Cavendish Laboratory and the mentor to many distinguished physicists, notably Rutherford and Bohr (briefly).
Heinrich Hertz 1857 to 1894
The German physicist (extraordinary experimental and theoretical physicist) who first discovered Maxwell's electromagnetic waves and that they propagated at the speed of light. He also first observed the photoelectric effect.
Max Planck 1858 to 1947
The originator of the idea that light from a blackbody radiator is quantized into bundles of energy of value E = hf, where h is Planck's Constant, h = 6.55×10-34 J-s.
Pierre Curie 1859 to 1906
Co-discoverer of Piezoelectricity, the loss of magnetism in ferromagnetic materials at high temperature, and isolation of Radium and Polonium, and quantitative measurement of the properties of radioactivity with his wife, Marie.
abstract period
Marie Skodowska Curie 1867 to 1934
Co-discoverer of Radium and Polonium and other phenomena in the physics and chemistry of radioactivity. Instigator of a series of quantitative measurements of radioactivity shortly after its discovery. Co-worker with her husband, Pierre, and later their daughter, Irene.
Ernest Rutherford 1871 to 1937
Student of Thompson, Rutherford did an enormous amount of work in early elementary particle physics and nuclear physics. His accomplishments include:
1. isolation of separate kinds of radioactivity - alpha "rays" (and determined them later to be Helium ions) and beta "rays" (and determined them later to be electrons).
2. He, with the Canadian chemist, Paul Soddy, worked out the description of nuclear decay and the transmutation of elements through the emission of alpha or beta radiation.
3. He, with Hans Geiger and student Eugene Marsden, did the experiments that showed that the atom had a large, positive core and a presumably negative electronic "planetary" configuration.
4. He discovered (and named) the proton.
Albert Einstein 1879 to 1955
The originator of Special Relativity, the quantum theory of light, the general theory of relativity, the atomistic explanation of Brownian motion, and numerous other ideas in quantum mechanics.
Niels Bohr 1885 to 1962
The originator of a quantized atom...the Bohr model and THE original thinker about quantum mechanics and the unnerving consequences that we have to live with. A philosopher and serious thinker.
Edwin Hubble 1889 to 1953
The astronomer who first measured both the distances and the speeds of galaxies and demonstrated that "nebulae" were not in our galaxy, but were likely galaxies of their own and that they were all moving away from us.
Prince Louis-Victor de Broglie 1892 to 1987
Theoretical Physicist who proposed the notion that electrons are quanta similar in character to photons in that they would possess both particle and wavelike characteristics.
Arthur Holly Compton 1892 to 1962
American physicist who first demonstrated that photons, as predicted by Einstein, exhibited particle-like behavior in their scattering at high energies from electrons.
Werner Heisenberg 1901 to 1976
Theoretical physicist, one of the early formal inventors of quantum mechanics. Probably best known for his "uncertainty relations" between pairs of quantum, measurable quantities.
Co-discoverer of Radium and Polonium and other phenomena in the physics and chemistry of radioactivity. Instigator of a series of quantitative measurements of radioactivity shortly after its discovery. Co-worker with her husband, Pierre, and later their daughter, Irene.
Ernest Rutherford 1871 to 1937
Student of Thompson, Rutherford did an enormous amount of work in early elementary particle physics and nuclear physics. His accomplishments include:
1. isolation of separate kinds of radioactivity - alpha "rays" (and determined them later to be Helium ions) and beta "rays" (and determined them later to be electrons).
2. He, with the Canadian chemist, Paul Soddy, worked out the description of nuclear decay and the transmutation of elements through the emission of alpha or beta radiation.
3. He, with Hans Geiger and student Eugene Marsden, did the experiments that showed that the atom had a large, positive core and a presumably negative electronic "planetary" configuration.
4. He discovered (and named) the proton.
Albert Einstein 1879 to 1955
The originator of Special Relativity, the quantum theory of light, the general theory of relativity, the atomistic explanation of Brownian motion, and numerous other ideas in quantum mechanics.
Niels Bohr 1885 to 1962
The originator of a quantized atom...the Bohr model and THE original thinker about quantum mechanics and the unnerving consequences that we have to live with. A philosopher and serious thinker.
Edwin Hubble 1889 to 1953
The astronomer who first measured both the distances and the speeds of galaxies and demonstrated that "nebulae" were not in our galaxy, but were likely galaxies of their own and that they were all moving away from us.
Prince Louis-Victor de Broglie 1892 to 1987
Theoretical Physicist who proposed the notion that electrons are quanta similar in character to photons in that they would possess both particle and wavelike characteristics.
Arthur Holly Compton 1892 to 1962
American physicist who first demonstrated that photons, as predicted by Einstein, exhibited particle-like behavior in their scattering at high energies from electrons.
Werner Heisenberg 1901 to 1976
Theoretical physicist, one of the early formal inventors of quantum mechanics. Probably best known for his "uncertainty relations" between pairs of quantum, measurable quantities.