Edward Mills Purcell

@Harvard University, Career and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Edward Mills Purcell was a well-known American physicist American Harvard University Purdue University Scientists Physicists Virgo Celebrities Edward Mills Purcell was a well-known American physicist. He shared the ‘Nobel Prize’ for Physics in 1952 with Felix Bloch, a Swiss physicist working mainly in the United States. They were awarded the ‘Nobel Prize’ for "their development of new ways and methods for nuclear magnetic precision measurements." Purcell is known in the science community for his independent discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) helps scientists determine the chemical structure and properties of materials with precision. NMR is also the basis of modern day magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body. Purcell not only made significant contribution to physics but contributed to astronomy as well. He is also remembered by biologists for his famous lecture “Life at Low Reynolds Number” in which he explained a principle called the Scallop theorem. He was the first to question the CP symmetry of particle physics. Purcell received many awards during his lifetime for his scientific, educational, and civic work. He served as a science advisor to the U. S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Personal Details

Birthday: August 30, 1912 Died on: March 7, 1997 Nationality: American Famous: Harvard University, Purdue University, Scientists, Physicists Spouses: Beth C. Busser Known as: E. M. Purcell Childrens: Dennis, Frank Information Detail Birthday August 30, 1912 Died on March 7, 1997 Nationality American Famous Harvard University, Purdue University, Scientists, Physicists Spouses Beth C. Busser Known as E. M. Purcell Childrens Dennis, Frank Universities Harvard University,Purdue University Harvard University Purdue University Notable Alumnis Harvard University Purdue University Discoveries / Inventions Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Smith-Purcell Effect 21 Cm Line Birth Place Taylorville, Illinois, USA Gender Male Sun Sign Virgo Born in Taylorville, Illinois, USA Famous as Physicist Died at Age 84

Taylorville, Illinois, USA

Edward Mills Purcell born at Unsplash Birth Place

In 1937, Purcell married Beth C. Busser. They had two sons, Dennis and Frank. Unsplash Personal Life

He died on March 7, 1997. Unsplash Personal Life

E.M. Purcell was born on August 30, 1912 in Taylorville, Illinois, U.S. His parents, Edward A. Purcell and Mary Elisabeth Mills, were both natives of Illinois. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He did his schooling in public schools in Taylorville and in Mattoon, Illinois and joined the ‘Purdue University’ in 1929. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He received his BSEE in electrical engineering from ‘Purdue University’, followed by his M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from ‘Harvard University’. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Purcell worked as an instructor in physics for two years in Harvard after receiving his Ph.D. from the university. Unsplash Career

Later, he joined the Radiation Laboratory, ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology’. Here, he became Head of the Fundamental Developments Group in the Radiation Laboratory, which was concerned with the exploration of new frequency bands and the development of new microwave techniques. Unsplash Career

After staying at Massachusetts during World War II years, he returned to Harvard to pursue research. Unsplash Career

In December 1946, he discovered nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with his colleagues Robert Pound and Henry Torrey. Unsplash Career

He received the ‘Nobel Prize’ in physics for his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance in 1952. Unsplash Career

Purcell discovered nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and solids. NMR is widely used to study the molecular structure of pure materials and the composition of mixtures. It is widely used in physics and chemistry for determining the chemical structure and properties of materials. NMR also serves as the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), one of the most important medical advances of the 20th century. Unsplash Major Works

He was the first to detect radio emissions from neutral galactic hydrogen, the famous 21 cm line due to hyperfine splitting. Measurements of the 21 cm line are still an important technique in modern astronomy. Unsplash Major Works

Purcell was the author of the innovative introductory text ‘Electricity and Magnetism’. The book, a Sputnik-era project funded by an NSF grant, was influential for its use of relativity in the presentation of the subject at this level. The book has educated and inspired a generation of physicists. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	August 30, 1912
Died on	March 7, 1997
Nationality	American
Famous	Harvard University, Purdue University, Scientists, Physicists
Spouses	Beth C. Busser
Known as	E. M. Purcell
Childrens	Dennis, Frank
Universities	Harvard University,Purdue University Harvard University Purdue University
Notable Alumnis	Harvard University Purdue University
Discoveries / Inventions	Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Smith-Purcell Effect 21 Cm Line
Birth Place	Taylorville, Illinois, USA
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Virgo
Born in	Taylorville, Illinois, USA
Famous as	Physicist
Died at Age	84

Edward Mills Purcell

American

Aug 30, 1912

Biography

Personal Details

Taylorville, Illinois, USA