Electromagnetism
Electricity, magnetism, and light
Physics: Oersted discovers link between electricity and magnetism
1820: Oersted discovers link between electricity and magnetism Hans Christian Ørsted (Danish: [ˈɶɐ̯steð] ; 14 August 1777 – 9 March 1851), sometimes transliterated as Oersted ( UR-sted), was a Danish chemist and physicist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields.
Read commentary →Physics: Viscosity
Viscosity When two fluid layers move relative to each other, a friction force develops between them and the slower layer acts to slow down the faster layer.
Read commentary →Physics: First direct gravitational wave detection
2015: First direct gravitational wave detection Gravitational waves are waves of spacetime curvature that propagate at the speed of light and are produced by the relative motion of gravitating masses.
Read commentary →Physics: Wave equation
Wave equation Form: c = λν The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength.
Read commentary →Physics: Infrared
Infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves.
Read commentary →Physics: James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell (1831) James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and light as different manifestations of the same phenomenon.
Read commentary →Physics: Gravitational wave
Gravitational wave Gravitational waves are waves of spacetime curvature that propagate at the speed of light and are produced by the relative motion of gravitating masses.
Read commentary →Physics: Fizeau experiment
Fizeau experiment By: Hippolyte Fizeau (1851) The Fizeau experiment was carried out by Hippolyte Fizeau in 1851 to measure the relative speeds of light in moving water.
Read commentary →Physics: Gamma ray
Gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from high-energy interactions like the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei or astronomical events like solar flares.
Read commentary →Physics: 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics
2007 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Albert Fert, Peter Grünberg The discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance.
Read commentary →Physics: X-ray
X-ray An X-ray is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays.
Read commentary →Physics: Capacitor
Capacitor A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other.
Read commentary →Physics: Becquerel discovers natural radioactivity
1896: Becquerel discovers natural radioactivity Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: QED renormalization established
1948: QED renormalization established In particle physics, quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics.
Read commentary →Physics: Resistance (electricity)
Resistance (electricity) The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current.
Read commentary →Physics: Elementary charge
Elementary charge e = 1.602×10⁻¹⁹ C The elementary charge, usually denoted by e, is a fundamental physical constant, defined as the electric charge carried by a single proton (+1 e) or, equivalently, the negative of the electric charge carried by a single electron, which has charge −1 e.
Read commentary →Physics: 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics
2023 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L’Huillier Experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.
Read commentary →Physics: Pulsar
Pulsar A pulsar (pulsating star, on the model of quasar) is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles.
Read commentary →Physics: 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics
1955 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Willis Eugene Lamb, Polykarp Kusch His discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum / for his precision determination of the magnetic moment of the electron.
Read commentary →Physics: Davisson–Germer experiment
Davisson–Germer experiment By: Davisson and Germer (1927) The Davisson–Germer experiment was conducted from 1923 to 1927 by Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer at Western Electric (later Bell Labs).
Read commentary →Physics: 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics
1997 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips Development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.
Read commentary →Physics: Magnetic flux
Magnetic flux Form: Φ = BA cos θ In physics, specifically electromagnetism, the magnetic flux through a surface is the surface integral of the normal component of the magnetic field B over that surface.
Read commentary →Physics: 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics
1973 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Leo Esaki, Ivar Giaever, Brian David Josephson Their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively / for his theoretical predictions of the properties of a supercurrent through a tunnel barrier, in particular those phenomena which are generally known as the Josephson effects.
Read commentary →Physics: Prism (optics)
Prism (optics) An optical prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that are designed to refract light.
Read commentary →Physics: Young's interference experiment
Young's interference experiment By: Thomas Young (1803) Young's interference experiment is any one of a number of optical experiments described or performed at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Thomas Young to demonstrate the wave theory of light.
Read commentary →Physics: Chadwick discovers neutron
1932: Chadwick discovers neutron A neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol n or n0, that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton.
Read commentary →Physics: Neutrino
Neutrino A neutrino ( new-TREE-noh; denoted by the Greek letter ν) is an elementary particle that interacts via the weak interaction and gravity.
Read commentary →Physics: Hans Christian Orsted
Hans Christian Orsted (1777) Hans Christian Ørsted (Danish: [ˈɶɐ̯steð] ; 14 August 1777 – 9 March 1851), sometimes transliterated as Oersted ( UR-sted), was a Danish chemist and physicist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields.
Read commentary →Physics: Alessandro Volta
Alessandro Volta (1745) Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (UK: , US: ; Italian: [alesˈsandro dʒuˈzɛppe anˈtɔnjo anasˈtaːzjo ˈvɔlta]; 18 February 1745 – 5 March 1827) was an Italian chemist and physicist who was a pioneer of electricity and power, and is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane.
Read commentary →Physics: Kite experiment
Kite experiment By: Benjamin Franklin (1752) The kite experiment is a scientific experiment in which a kite with a pointed conductive wire attached to its apex is flown near thunder clouds to collect static electricity from the air and conduct it down the wet kite string to the ground.
Read commentary →Physics: 1944 Nobel Prize in Physics
1944 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Isidor Isaac Rabi His resonance method for recording the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei.
Read commentary →Physics: Speed of light
Speed of light Form: c² = 1/μ₀ε₀ The speed of light in vacuum, often called simply the speed of light and commonly denoted c, is a universal physical constant exactly equal to 299792458 m⋅s−1.
Read commentary →Physics: Compton scattering
Compton scattering Compton scattering (or the Compton effect) is the quantum theory of scattering of a high-frequency photon through an interaction with a charged particle, usually an electron.
Read commentary →Physics: Impedance of free space
Impedance of free space Z₀ = 376.73 Ω In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or an electromagnetic wave (EMW) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space.
Read commentary →Physics: Electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength.
Read commentary →Physics: Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation (UV; sometimes called ultraviolet light) is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 100–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays.
Read commentary →Physics: Huygens proposes wave theory of light
1678: Huygens proposes wave theory of light Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem (14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695), was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who is regarded as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution.
Read commentary →Physics: Mirror
Mirror A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that reflects an image.
Read commentary →Physics: Rontgen discovers X-rays
1895: Rontgen discovers X-rays An X-ray is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays.
Read commentary →Physics: 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics
1939 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Ernest Orlando Lawrence The invention and development of the cyclotron and for results obtained with it, especially with regard to artificial radioactive elements.
Read commentary →Physics: 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics
1906 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Joseph John Thomson In recognition of the great merits of his theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases.
Read commentary →Physics: 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics
2014 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, Shuji Nakamura The invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.
Read commentary →Physics: 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics
1986 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Ernst Ruska, Gerd Binnig, Heinrich Rohrer His fundamental work in electron optics, and for the design of the first electron microscope / for their design of the scanning tunneling microscope.
Read commentary →Physics: Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations Maxwell's equations are a set of coupled partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electromagnetism, classical optics, electric and magnetic circuits.
Read commentary →Physics: Voltage
Voltage Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points.
Read commentary →Physics: 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics
1903 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Antoine Henri Becquerel, Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, née Skłodowska In recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity / in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel.
Read commentary →Physics: Power (electricity)
Power (electricity) Form: P = IV Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a circuit.
Read commentary →Physics: Integrated circuit
Integrated circuit An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a compact assembly of electronic circuits formed from various electronic components, such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, and their interconnections.
Read commentary →Physics: Causality (physics)
Causality (physics) In physics, causality requires the cause of an event to be in the past light cone of the result and to be ultimately reducible to fundamental interactions.
Read commentary →Physics: Atom
Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements and the fundamental building blocks of matter.
Read commentary →Physics: Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736) Charles-Augustin de Coulomb ( KOO-lom, -lohm, koo-LOM, -LOHM; French: [kulɔ̃]; 14 June 1736 – 23 August 1806) was a French officer, engineer, and physicist.
Read commentary →Physics: Superconductivity
Superconductivity Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic fields are expelled from the material.
Read commentary →Physics: Electric field
Electric field An electric field (sometimes called E-field) is a physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles such as electrons.
Read commentary →Physics: 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics
1952 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Felix Bloch, Edward Mills Purcell Their development of new methods for nuclear magnetic precision measurements and discoveries in connection therewith.
Read commentary →Physics: Radioactivity
Radioactivity Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: Microwave
Microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves.
Read commentary →Physics: Gustav Kirchhoff
Gustav Kirchhoff (1824) Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (German: [ˈgʊstaːf ˈʁoːbɛʁt ˈkɪʁçhɔf]; 12 March 1824 – 17 October 1887) was a German physicist and mathematician who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects.
Read commentary →Physics: Dispersion (optics)
Dispersion (optics) Dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency.
Read commentary →Physics: Frequency-wavelength relation
Frequency-wavelength relation Form: ν = c/λ The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength.
Read commentary →Physics: Snell's law
Snell's law Snell's law (also known as the Snell–Descartes law, and the law of refraction) is a formula used to describe the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction, when referring to light or other waves passing through a boundary between two different isotropic media, such as water, glass, or air.
Read commentary →Physics: 1966 Nobel Prize in Physics
1966 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Alfred Kastler The discovery and development of optical methods for studying Hertzian resonances in atoms.
Read commentary →Physics: 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics
1979 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Sheldon Lee Glashow, Abdus Salam, Steven Weinberg Their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current.
Read commentary →Physics: Electric current
Electric current An electric current is a flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space.
Read commentary →Physics: Root mean square speed
Root mean square speed Form: v = √(kT/m) In physics (in particular in statistical mechanics), the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, or Maxwell(ian) distribution, is a particular probability distribution named after James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann.
Read commentary →Physics: Brewster's angle
Brewster's angle Brewster's angle (also known as the polarization angle) is the angle of incidence at which light with a particular polarization is perfectly transmitted through a transparent dielectric surface, with no reflection.
Read commentary →Physics: Double-slit experiment
Double-slit experiment By: Various (1909) In modern physics, the double-slit experiment demonstrates that light and matter can exhibit behavior associated with both classical particles and classical waves.
Read commentary →Physics: Donna Strickland
Donna Strickland (1959) Donna Theo Strickland (born May 27, 1959) is a Canadian optical physicist and pioneer in the field of pulsed lasers.
Read commentary →Physics: Electrostatics
Electrostatics Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies slow-moving or stationary electric charges on macroscopic objects where quantum effects can be neglected.
Read commentary →Physics: 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics
2000 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Zhores I. Alferov, Herbert Kroemer, Jack S. Kilby Developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics / for his part in the invention of the integrated circuit.
Read commentary →Physics: Wave–particle duality
Wave–particle duality Wave–particle duality is the concept in quantum mechanics that fundamental entities of the universe, like photons and electrons, exhibit particle or wave properties according to the experimental circumstances.
Read commentary →Physics: 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics
2025 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, John M. Martinis The discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.
Read commentary →Physics: Coulomb measures electric force law
1785: Coulomb measures electric force law Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is a scientific law of physics that describes the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest.
Read commentary →Physics: Andre-Marie Ampere
Andre-Marie Ampere (1775) André-Marie Ampère (UK: , US: ; French: [ɑ̃dʁe maʁi ɑ̃pɛʁ]; 20 January 1775 – 10 June 1836) was a French physicist and mathematician who was one of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism, which he referred to as electrodynamics.
Read commentary →Physics: Semiconductor
Semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator.
Read commentary →Physics: Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857) Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( hurts; German: [hɛʁts] ; 22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves proposed by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism.
Read commentary →Physics: 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics
1964 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Charles Hard Townes, Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov, Aleksandr Mikhailovich Prokhorov Fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle.
Read commentary →Physics: Compton wavelength
Compton wavelength λc = 2.426×10⁻¹² m Compton scattering (or the Compton effect) is the quantum theory of scattering of a high-frequency photon through an interaction with a charged particle, usually an electron.
Read commentary →Physics: 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics
1956 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: William Bradford Shockley, John Bardeen, Walter Houser Brattain Their researches on semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect.
Read commentary →Physics: Electron mass
Electron mass mₑ = 9.110×10⁻³¹ kg The electron (e−, or β− in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle whose electric charge is negative one elementary charge.
Read commentary →Physics: Maxwell unifies electricity, magnetism, and light
1864: Maxwell unifies electricity, magnetism, and light Maxwell's equations are a set of coupled partial differential equations that describe how electric and magnetic fields are generated by electric charges and currents.
Read commentary →Physics: Lens (optics)
Lens (optics) A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction.
Read commentary →Physics: Radio wave
Radio wave Radio waves (formerly called Hertzian waves) are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies below 300 gigahertz (GHz) and wavelengths greater than 1 millimeter (3⁄64 inch), about the diameter of a grain of rice.
Read commentary →Physics: 1943 Nobel Prize in Physics
1943 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Otto Stern His contribution to the development of the molecular ray method and his discovery of the magnetic moment of the proton.
Read commentary →Physics: Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday (1791) Michael Faraday ( FAYR-uh-day; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed vastly to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism.
Read commentary →Physics: Standard Model
Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions – excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles.
Read commentary →Physics: Michelson–Morley experiment
Michelson–Morley experiment By: Michelson and Morley (1887) The Michelson–Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves.
Read commentary →Physics: Ohm's law
Ohm's law Form: V = IR Ohm's law states that the electric current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points.
Read commentary →Physics: Oil drop experiment
Oil drop experiment By: Robert Millikan (1909) The oil drop experiment was performed by Robert A.
Read commentary →Physics: Magnetic flux quantum
Magnetic flux quantum Φ₀ = 2.068×10⁻¹⁵ Wb Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms.
Read commentary →Physics: Electron volts (energy unit)
Electron volts (energy unit) GeV = 1.602×10⁻¹⁰ J In physics, an electronvolt (symbol eV), also written as electron-volt and electron volt, is a unit of measurement equivalent to the amount of kinetic energy gained by a single electron accelerating through an electric potential difference of one volt in a vacuum.
Read commentary →Physics: 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics
1930 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman His work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him.
Read commentary →Physics: Ferenc Krausz
Ferenc Krausz (1962) Ferenc Krausz (born 17 May 1962) is a Hungarian physicist working in attosecond science.
Read commentary →Physics: Albert Abraham Michelson
Albert Abraham Michelson (1852) Albert Abraham Michelson (December 19, 1852 – May 9, 1931) was an American experimental physicist known for his work on measuring the speed of light and especially for the Michelson–Morley experiment.
Read commentary →Physics: J. J. Thomson discovers the electron
1897: J. J. Thomson discovers the electron The electron (e−, or β− in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle whose electric charge is negative one elementary charge.
Read commentary →Physics: Telescope
Telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: Volta invents the electric battery
1800: Volta invents the electric battery The voltaic pile was the first electrical battery that could continuously provide an electric current to a circuit.
Read commentary →Physics: Photon
Photon A photon (from Ancient Greek φῶς, φωτός (phôs, phōtós) 'light') is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force.
Read commentary →Physics: Theodore Maiman
Theodore Maiman (1927) Theodore Harold Maiman (July 11, 1927 – May 5, 2007) was an American engineer and physicist who is widely credited with the invention of the laser.
Read commentary →Physics: Electromagnetic induction
Electromagnetic induction Electromagnetic induction or magnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (emf) across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
Read commentary →Physics: Cosmic microwave background discovered
1964: Cosmic microwave background discovered The cosmic microwave background (CMB, CMBR), or relic radiation, is microwave radiation that fills all space in the observable universe.
Read commentary →Physics: Carlo Rovelli
Carlo Rovelli (1956) Carlo Rovelli (born 3 May 1956) is an Italian theoretical physicist and writer who has worked in Italy, the United States, France, and Canada.
Read commentary →Physics: Speed of light
Speed of light c = 299,792,458 m/s The speed of light in vacuum, often called simply the speed of light and commonly denoted c, is a universal physical constant exactly equal to 299792458 m⋅s−1.
Read commentary →Physics: Black hole
Black hole A black hole is an astronomical body so compact that its gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping.
Read commentary →Physics: Neutrino experimentally detected
1956: Neutrino experimentally detected A neutrino ( new-TREE-noh; denoted by the Greek letter ν) is an elementary particle that interacts via the weak interaction and gravity.
Read commentary →Physics: Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction
1831: Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction Electromagnetic induction or magnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (emf) across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
Read commentary →Physics: Photoelectric effect
Photoelectric effect The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material caused by electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light.
Read commentary →Physics: Coulomb's law
Coulomb's law Form: q₁q₂/4πε₀r² Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is a scientific law of physics that describes the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest.
Read commentary →Physics: 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics
1927 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Arthur Holly Compton, Charles Thomson Rees Wilson His discovery of the effect named after him / for his method of making the paths of electrically charged particles visible by condensation of vapour.
Read commentary →Physics: Franck–Hertz experiment
Franck–Hertz experiment By: Franck and Hertz (1914) The Franck–Hertz experiment was the first electrical measurement to clearly show the quantum nature of atoms.
Read commentary →Physics: Proton mass
Proton mass mₚ = 1.673×10⁻²⁷ kg A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol p, H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 e (elementary charge).
Read commentary →Physics: 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics
1938 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Enrico Fermi His demonstrations of the existence of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation, and for his related discovery of nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons.
Read commentary →Physics: Bremsstrahlung
Bremsstrahlung In particle physics, bremsstrahlung (; German: [ˈbʁɛms.
Read commentary →Physics: Michelson-Morley tests luminiferous aether
1887: Michelson-Morley tests luminiferous aether The Michelson–Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves.
Read commentary →Physics: Robert Millikan
Robert Millikan (1868) Robert Andrews Millikan (March 22, 1868 – December 19, 1953) was an American experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923 "for his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect.
Read commentary →Physics: Georg Ohm
Georg Ohm (1789) Georg Simon Ohm (; German: [oːm] ; 16 March 1789 – 6 July 1854) was a German mathematician and physicist.
Read commentary →Physics: 1912 Nobel Prize in Physics
1912 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Nils Gustaf Dalén His invention of automatic regulators for use in conjunction with gas accumulators for illuminating lighthouses and buoys.
Read commentary →Physics: Electroweak unification developed
1967: Electroweak unification developed In particle physics, the electroweak interaction or electroweak force is the unified description of two of the fundamental interactions of nature: electromagnetism (electromagnetic interaction) and the weak interaction.
Read commentary →Physics: 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics
1921 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Albert Einstein His services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.
Read commentary →Physics: Tau mass
Tau mass mτ = 3.167×10⁻²⁷ kg The tau (τ), also called the tau lepton, tau particle or tauon, is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with negative electric charge and a spin of 1/2.
Read commentary →Physics: Dark matter
Dark matter In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: Faraday's law
Faraday's law Form: ε = -dΦ/dt In electromagnetism, Faraday's law of induction describes how a changing magnetic field can induce an electric current in a circuit.
Read commentary →Physics: Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788) Augustin-Jean Fresnel (10 May 1788 – 14 July 1827) was a French civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the almost unanimous acceptance of the wave theory of light, fully supplanting Newton's corpuscular theory, from the late 1830s until the end of the 19th century.
Read commentary →Physics: Photoelectric effect
Photoelectric effect The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material caused by electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light.
Read commentary →Physics: Arno Penzias
Arno Penzias (1933) Arno Allan Penzias (; April 26, 1933 – January 22, 2024) was an American physicist and radio astronomer.
Read commentary →Physics: Ibn al-Haytham
Ibn al-Haytham (965) Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (c.
Read commentary →Physics: Electron
Electron The electron (e−, or β− in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle whose electric charge is negative one elementary charge.
Read commentary →Physics: Permittivity of free space
Permittivity of free space ε₀ = 8.854×10⁻¹² F/m In electromagnetism, the absolute permittivity, often simply called permittivity and denoted by the Greek letter ε (epsilon), is a measure of the electric polarizability of a dielectric material.
Read commentary →Physics: Faraday's ice pail experiment
Faraday's ice pail experiment By: Michael Faraday (1843) Faraday's ice pail experiment is a simple electrostatics experiment performed in 1843 by British scientist Michael Faraday that demonstrates the effect of electrostatic induction on a conducting container.
Read commentary →Physics: Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation
Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation By: Penzias and Wilson (1964) The discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation constitutes a major development in modern physical cosmology.
Read commentary →Physics: Einstein explains photoelectric effect
1905: Einstein explains photoelectric effect The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material caused by electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light.
Read commentary →Physics: First black hole image released
2019: First black hole image released The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a telescope array consisting of a global network of radio telescopes.
Read commentary →Physics: Cosmic ray
Cosmic ray Cosmic rays or astroparticles are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light.
Read commentary →Physics: 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics
2009 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Charles Kuen Kao, Willard S. Boyle, George E. Smith Groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication / for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor.
Read commentary →Physics: 1907 Nobel Prize in Physics
1907 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Albert Abraham Michelson His optical precision instruments and the spectroscopic and metrological investigations carried out with their aid.
Read commentary →Physics: David Bohm
David Bohm (1917) David Joseph Bohm (; 20 December 1917 – 27 October 1992) was an American physicist who has been described as one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century and who contributed unorthodox ideas to quantum theory, neuropsychology and the philosophy of mind.
Read commentary →Physics: Speed of light
Speed of light The speed of light in vacuum, often called simply the speed of light and commonly denoted c, is a universal physical constant exactly equal to 299792458 m⋅s−1.
Read commentary →Physics: Neutron
Neutron A neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol n or n0, that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton.
Read commentary →Physics: Nuclear fission
Nuclear fission Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei.
Read commentary →Physics: 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics
2018 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou, Donna Strickland The optical tweezers and their application to biological systems / for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.
Read commentary →Physics: Hall effect
Hall effect The Hall effect is the production of a potential difference, across an electrical conductor, that is transverse to an electric current in the conductor and to an applied magnetic field perpendicular to the current.
Read commentary →Physics: Leo Esaki
Leo Esaki (1925) Leo Esaki (born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese solid-state physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ivar Giaever and Brian Josephson for his work on tunneling in semiconductors, which led to his invention of the tunnel diode that exploits this phenomenon.
Read commentary →Physics: Albert Fert
Albert Fert (1938) Albert Fert (French: [albɛʁ fɛʁ]; born 7 March 1938) is a French physicist and one of the discoverers of giant magnetoresistance which brought about a breakthrough in gigabyte hard disks.
Read commentary →Physics: Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen
Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen (1845) Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (27 March 1845 – 10 February 1923) was a German experimental physicist who produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays (known as "Röntgen rays" in many languages).
Read commentary →Physics: Transistor
Transistor A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power.
Read commentary →Physics: Ohm's law
Ohm's law Ohm's law states that the electric current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points.
Read commentary →Physics: Synchrotron radiation
Synchrotron radiation Synchrotron radiation (also known as magnetobremsstrahlung) is the electromagnetic radiation emitted when relativistic charged particles are subject to an acceleration perpendicular to their velocity (a ⊥ v).
Read commentary →Physics: 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics
1974 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Sir Martin Ryle, Antony Hewish Their pioneering research in radio astrophysics: Ryle for his observations and inventions, in particular of the aperture synthesis technique, and Hewish for his decisive role in the discovery of pulsars.
Read commentary →Physics: Aspect's experiment
Aspect's experiment By: Alain Aspect (1982) Aspect's experiment was the first quantum mechanics experiment to demonstrate the violation of Bell's inequalities with photons using distant detectors.
Read commentary →Physics: Roy Glauber
Roy Glauber (1925) Roy Jay Glauber (September 1, 1925 – December 26, 2018) was an American theoretical physicist.
Read commentary →Physics: Nicolaas Bloembergen
Nicolaas Bloembergen (1920) Nicolaas Bloembergen (March 11, 1920 – September 5, 2017) was a Dutch–American physicist recognized for his work in developing driving principles behind nonlinear optics for laser spectroscopy.
Read commentary →Physics: Ampere's circuital law
Ampere's circuital law In classical electromagnetism, Ampère's circuital law, often simply called Ampère's law, and sometimes Oersted's law, relates the circulation of a magnetic field around a closed loop to the electric current passing through that loop.
Read commentary →Physics: 1919 Nobel Prize in Physics
1919 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Johannes Stark His discovery of the Doppler effect in canal rays and the splitting of spectral lines in electric fields.
Read commentary →Physics: Magnetic field
Magnetic field Form: B = μ₀I/2πr In electromagnetism, magnetic field is a physical property of space that quantifies the magnetic strength at a given location.
Read commentary →Physics: Henri Becquerel
Henri Becquerel (1852) Antoine Henri Becquerel (15 December 1852 – 25 August 1908) was a French experimental physicist who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie for his discovery of radioactivity.
Read commentary →Physics: Römer's determination of the speed of light
Römer's determination of the speed of light By: Ole Romer (1676) In 1676, the Danish astronomer Ole Rømer demonstrated that light has an apprehensible, measurable speed and so does not travel instantaneously.
Read commentary →Physics: Laser
Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: Beer–Lambert law
Beer–Lambert law The Beer–Lambert law (also known as Beer’s law) is used to determine the concentration of substances in a solution.
Read commentary →Physics: Faraday's laws of electromagnetic induction
Faraday's laws of electromagnetic induction In electromagnetism, Faraday's law of induction describes how a changing magnetic field can induce an electric current in a circuit.
Read commentary →Physics: Muon mass
Muon mass mμ = 1.883×10⁻²⁸ kg A muon ( M(Y)OO-on; from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1/2 ħ, but with a much greater mass.
Read commentary →Physics: 1977 Nobel Prize in Physics
1977 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Philip Warren Anderson, Sir Nevill Francis Mott, John Hasbrouck Van Vleck Their fundamental theoretical investigations of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems.
Read commentary →Physics: Coulomb's law
Coulomb's law Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is an experimental law of physics that calculates the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest.
Read commentary →Physics: Arthur Schawlow
Arthur Schawlow (1921) Arthur Leonard Schawlow (May 5, 1921 – April 28, 1999) was an American physicist who, along with Charles Townes, developed the theoretical basis for laser science.
Read commentary →Physics: Hertz experiment on electromagnetic waves
Hertz experiment on electromagnetic waves By: Heinrich Hertz (1887) Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( hurts; German: [hɛʁts] ; 22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves proposed by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism.
Read commentary →Physics: 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics
1981 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Nicolaas Bloembergen, Arthur Leonard Schawlow, Kai M. Siegbahn Their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy / for his contribution to the development of high-resolution electron spectroscopy.
Read commentary →Physics: Nuclear fission discovered
1938: Nuclear fission discovered Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei.
Read commentary →Physics: 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics
2005 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Roy J. Glauber, John L. Hall, Theodor W. Hänsch His contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence / for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique.
Read commentary →Physics: Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: Ferromagnetism
Ferromagnetism Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials (such as iron) that results in a significant, observable magnetic permeability, and in many cases, a significant magnetic coercivity, allowing the material to form a permanent magnet.
Read commentary →Physics: 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
2022 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, Anton Zeilinger Experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science.
Read commentary →Physics: 1923 Nobel Prize in Physics
1923 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Robert Andrews Millikan His work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect.
Read commentary →Physics: Eddington expedition confirms light deflection
1919: Eddington expedition confirms light deflection The Eddington experiment was an observational test of general relativity, organised by the British astronomers Frank Watson Dyson and Arthur Stanley Eddington in 1919.
Read commentary →Physics: Lenz's law
Lenz's law Lenz's law states that the direction of the electric current induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field is such that the magnetic field created by the induced current opposes changes in the initial magnetic field.
Read commentary →Physics: Gerard Mourou
Gerard Mourou (1944) Gérard Albert Mourou (French: [ʒeʁaʁ muʁu]; born 22 June 1944) is a French scientist and pioneer in the field of electrical engineering and lasers.
Read commentary →Physics: Magnetic field
Magnetic field In electromagnetism, magnetic field is a physical property of space that quantifies the magnetic strength at a given location.
Read commentary →Physics: Inductor
Inductor An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or reactor, is a passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it.
Read commentary →Physics: Proton
Proton A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol p, H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 e (elementary charge).
Read commentary →Physics: Magnetism
Magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other.
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