Famous Physicists - List of Famous Physicists - page 2

Physicists are the scientists who study the field of physics in great detail. They conduct research into physical phenomena or the natural science that involve the study of matter and related concepts. They analyze the general happenings in nature and try to understand how the universe behaves. On the basis of research through observation and experiments, they discover physical laws and propound theories that explain the functioning of natural forces like gravity, electromagnetism, and nuclear interactions. The discovery of new physical laws and theories contribute to the existing base of theoretical knowledge and can also be used for more practical applications such as development of medial equipment, electronic devices, nuclear reactors, etc. During the earlier days, physics was considered a field of philosophy; it was only during the 19th century that physics was realized as a discipline separate from philosophy. Some of the major branches of physics are classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, theory of relativity and electromagnetism. Since physics covers a vast number of fields, most physicists specialize in one of the many subfields. However, the various subfields may overlap with each other and also with other sciences resulting in interdisciplinary fields such as biophysics, geophysics, meteorology, etc. Browse through this section to explore the biographies, life and works of various famous physicists from all over the world.

The Most Famous Physicists

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Henry CavendishOctober 10, 1731BritishHenry Cavendish was a theoretical chemist and physicist, renowned for discovery of hydrogen and calculation of the mass of earth
Walter KohnMarch 9, 1923AustrianNobel Laureate Walter Kohn was an Austrian-born American theoretical chemist and physicist
Isaac NewtonJanuary 4, 1643BritishIsaac Newton was an English scientist and mathematician, who discovered gravitation and Newtonian Mechanics
Ernst RuskaDecember 25, 1906GermanErnst Ruska was a German physicist who invented the electron microscope
Amedeo AvogadroAugust 9, 1776ItalianAmedeo Avogadro was an Italian scientist who formulated what is now known as Avogadro's law
Paul DiracAugust 8, 1902BritishPaul Dirac was an English theoretical physicist known for his contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics
Nikola TeslaJuly 10, 1856AmericanNikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, best known for his development of alternating current electrical systems
Franklin Chang DíazApril 5, 1950Chinese, Costa Rican, AmericanFranklin Chang-Diaz is an American-Costa Rican physicist and former NASA astronaut
Richard FeynmanMay 11, 1918AmericanRichard Feynman was a Nobel Prize winning American physicist who proposed the theory of quantum electrodynamics
J. J. ThomsonDecember 18, 1856BritishJ.J
Frederick Reines

Frederick Reines

Frederick Reines was an American physicist who won a share of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physics

AmericanMarch 16, 1918119 views

Gerard ’t Hooft

Gerard 't Hooft is a Dutch theoretical physicist who won a share of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physics

DutchJuly 5, 194690 views

Georges Charpak

Georges Charpak was a Polish-born French physicist who received the Nobel Prize for inventing the multi-wire proportional chamber

FrenchAugust 1, 1924127 views

Hans Georg Dehmelt

Hans Georg Dehmelt is a German born American physicist who developed the ion trap technique

GermanSeptember 9, 1922105 views

Nicolaas Bloembergen

Nicolaas Bloembergen is a Dutch-American physicist who won a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics 1981

AmericanMarch 11, 1920112 views

Martin Lewis Perl

Martin Lewis Perl was an American physicist who discovered the subatomic particle, tau lepton and won the Nobel Prize

AmericanJune 24, 192793 views

Sheldon Lee Glashow

Sheldon Lee Glashow is an American theoretical physicist who received a share of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physics

Arno Allan Penzias

Arno Allan Penzias is an American physicist and radio astronomer who won a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics 1978

AmericanApril 26, 193398 views

Zhores Ivanovich Alferov

Zhores Ivanovich Alferov is a Nobel Prize winning Russian physicist

BelarusianMarch 15, 193085 views

Martinus J. G. Veltman

Martinus J

DutchJune 27, 1931174 views