PHYSICISTS

Some of the most famous physicists and their contributions to science are explained in this section. Learn famous physicists, such as Albert Einstein.

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Thomas Young

Young, Thomas (1773-1829) was a British physicist, doctor, and scholar. He discovered the interference of light and showed that light consists of waves.

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  • 10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking
    10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

    Stephen Hawking is known around the world as an acclaimed physicist, but there are more sides of him. From his work as an author to his beliefs about alien life, what are some of the most surprising things about Stephen Hawking? See more »

  • How Albert Einstein's Brain Worked
    How Albert Einstein's Brain Worked

    E=mc2. The theory of relativity. An understanding of the speed of light. The idea that led to the completion of the atomic bomb. These ideas all came from one man's brain: Albert Einstein's. See more »

  • How Isaac Newton Worked
    How Isaac Newton Worked

    The man immortalized on the left was behind the three laws of motion and the universal law of gravitation. He was also competitive, temperamental and fascinated with alchemy. How well do you know Newton? See more »

  • How Stephen Hawking Works
    How Stephen Hawking Works

    He's ventured to the abyss of black holes, wagered on the information paradox and floated around in zero gravity. Meet the man, the legend, the super scientist: Stephen Hawking. See more »

  • How well do you know Albert Einstein?
    How well do you know Albert Einstein?

    Albert Einstein was a pretty smart guy. When you look up the word "genius" in the dictionary, so the saying goes, it's a pretty safe bet you'll see Einstein's mug. He introduced concepts that we're still figuring out how to explain. See more »

  • Who Said It? Albert Einstein or C.S. Lewis
    Who Said It? Albert Einstein or C.S. Lewis

    One was a celebrated author, the other a famed physicist. What the two shared was a public exposure of their religious beliefs. Big E had an on-again, off-again relationship with God, while C.S. was an avowed atheist during his early years. See more »

  • Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov
    Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov

    Prokhorov, Alexander Mikhailovich (1916-2002) was a Russian physicist who developed masers, a forerunner of lasers, with Russian physicist Nikolai Gennadievich Basov. See more »

  • Bragg, William Lawrence
    Bragg, William Lawrence

    Bragg, William Lawrence (1862-1942), a British physicist, developed methods that made it possible to determine the atomic structure of crystals. See more »

  • Chu, Steven
    Chu, Steven

    Chu, Steven (1948-), an American physicist, developed a method to slow down atoms and make them easier to study. See more »

  • Compton (family)
    Compton (family)

    Compton, the family name of three United States educators and scientists. The Compton brothers were born in Wooster, Ohio, and attended college there. See more »

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