Werner Heisenberg

created by John Mitchell

Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German Theoretical Physicist who studied quantum mechanics. He is best known for his Uncertainty Principle, which describes the fundamental limit to the accuracy of which the momentum and position of a particle can be measured. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932 "for the creation of quantum mechanics, the application of which has, inter alia, led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen."

Personal Life and Education

Werner Heisenberg was born on Decemeber 5th, 1901 in Würzburg, Germany. He had his primary and secondary education in Munich. He later studied Physics at the University of Munich. Later, in 1922, he went to Göttingen to study physics under Max Born, Franck, and Hilbert. He received his Ph. D at the University of Munich and became Max Born's assistant. In 1924, he worked with Niels Bohr for a year at the University of Copenhagen. In 1927, he became a professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Leipzig. At the end of the Second World War, He and other German Physicists were taken prisoner by the Allied forces and forced to relocate the United Kingdom. He returned to Germany in 1946 to found the Max Planck Institute for Physics. He died on February 1, 1976 in Munich.

Contributions to Physics

Creation of Quantum Mechanics

Before Heisenberg, the generally accepted model of the atom was that of Niels Bohr, in which the electrons of the atom orbited the nucleus in a circular orbit (a model very similar to the planetary model of the solar system). This model, however, did not account for the predicted properties of atoms and molecules, the nature of light (waves or particles?), or the spectra of emissions emitted by atoms. Heisenberg struggled with the concept of the circular orbits of the electrons as they could not be observed, so he tried to develop his own model of quantum mechanics with what could be observed (the emissions and adsorptions of atoms).

Examples

Be sure to show all steps in your solution and include diagrams whenever possible

Connectedness

1. How is this topic connected to something that you are interested in?
2. How is it connected to your major?
3. Is there an interesting industrial application?

History

Put this idea in historical context. Give the reader the Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

See also

Are there related topics or categories in this wiki resource for the curious reader to explore? How does this topic fit into that context?

Further reading

Books, Articles or other print media on this topic

External links

Internet resources on this topic

References

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1932/heisenberg-facts.html