Year Discoveries Scientist Name
1905 Photon Albert Einstein
1897 Electron J.J. Thomson
1919 Proton Ernest Rutherford
1808 Atom John Dalton
1932 Neutron James Chadwick
1687 Law of Motion Isaac Newton
1779 Coulomb Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
1827 Ohm’s Law Georg Simon Ohm
1831 Electromagnetic Induction Michael Faraday
1880 Thermionic Emission Thomas Edison
1896 Radioactivity Henri Becquerel
1898 Radium Marie Sklodowska-Curie
1900 Quantum theory Max Planck
1905 Photoelectric Effect Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
1895 X-Ray Röntgen
1905 Relativity Albert Einstein
1913 Atomic Structure Neils Bohr & Rutherford
1942 Nuclear Reactor Enrico Fermi
Famous Scientists And Their Inventions
Famous Scientists And Their Inventions
Famous Scientists And Their Inventions
A scientist is someone who explores the nature of the universe. On the other hand, an investigator is someone who
tries to create useful devices and products. A few people have been successful in both endeavours. Given below is a
list of discoveries that includes 17 famous scientists and their discoveries.
Albert Einstein
Photon, also known as light quantum, is a tiny energy packet of electromagnetic radiation. This concept originated in
Albert Einstein’s explanation of the photoelectric effect, in which he proposed the existence of discrete energy
packets during the transmission of light. Albert Einstein was best known for his General and Special theory of
relativity and the concept of mass-energy equivalence (E = mc2.)
J.J Thomson
J.J Thomson, an English physicist and a Nobel Laureate in Physics, is credited and honoured with the discovery of the
electron, which was the first subatomic particle to be discovered. Thomson managed to show that cathode rays
were composed of previously unknown negatively charged particles (electrons), which he calculated and inferred
might have smaller bodies than atoms and a substantial charge-mass ratio. He is also credited for finding the first
evidence for the existence of isotopes for stable elements.
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand chemist is regarded as the “father of nuclear physics.” He was the first to propose
that an atom comprises a small charged nucleus surrounded by empty space and is circled by tiny electrons which
later, became known as the Rutherford model. He is credited with the discovery of protons and hypothesized the
existence of the neutron.
John Dalton
John Dalton’s major contribution was his theory on atoms which consists of five parts as follows:
Atoms are made of tiny particles known as atoms
Atoms are indivisible and indestructible
Atoms of a given element are identical in size, mass, and chemical properties
In a chemical reaction, atoms separate, combine and rearrange
Dalton made a lot of discoveries based on his observations.
James Chadwick
James Chadwick, a British physicist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron.
Bombarding elements with neutrons can result in the penetration and splitting of nuclei generating an enormous
amount of energy. This way, Chadwick’s findings were pivotal to the discovery of nuclear fission and ultimately, the
development of the atomic bomb.
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton’s discoveries created a launchpad for future developments in science. His most noteworthy
innovations were as follows:
Newton’s three laws of motion set the foundation for modern classical mechanics.
The discovery of gravitational force gave us the ability to predict the movement of heavenly bodies.
His discovery of calculus gave us a potent mathematical tool, aiding the precise analytical treatment of the
physical world.
Isaac Newton is one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time, and his inventions and discoveries
widened the reach of human thoughts.
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb is best known for what now is known as the Coulomb’s law, which explains
electrostatic attraction and repulsion. He formulated this law to study the law of electrostatic repulsion put forward
by the English scientist Joseph Priestley. He also extensively worked on the friction of machinery, the elasticity of
metal and silk fibres. The SI unit of electric charge – Coulomb, is named after him.
Georg Simon Ohm
Georg Simon Ohm, a German Physicist, discovered the law named after him, known as the “Ohm’s Law” which states
that the current flowing a conductor is directly proportional to its voltage and inversely proportional to its resistance.
Michael Faraday
Faraday was a man devoted to discovery through experimentation. He was famous for never giving up on ideas that
came from scientific intuition. When he thought of an idea, he would keep experimenting through multiple failures
until he got what was expected. Below is the list of his few noteworthy discoveries:
Discovery of Electromagnetic Induction
Discovery of Benzene
Faraday’s Laws of Electrolysis
Gas Liquefication and Refrigeration
Michael Faraday is one of the revered scientists of all time.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison made a lot of key inventions and discoveries. Here, we have listed a few noteworthy ones:
Invented the carbon rheostat
Discovered incandescent light
Invented the motion picture camera
Invented the fluorescent electric lamp
Discovered thermionic emission
Edison has been described as “America’s greatest inventor.” He developed many devices in fields like mass
communication and electric power generation. He was one of the pioneers in applying the principles of organized
science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees.
Henri Becquerel
Henri Becquerel was a French physicist best known for his work on radioactivity for which he won a Nobel Prize. As a
result, the SI unit of radioactivity Becquerel is named after him.
Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Marie Sklodowska-Curie was a chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first
woman to win a Nobel Prize. She is most famous for the discovery of the elements Polonium and Radium.
Max Planck
Max Planck, a German Physicist, is best known for his proposition of the quantum theory of energy for which he was
awarded the Nobel Prize. His work contributed significantly to the atomic and subatomic processes.
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
During his work on electromagnetism, Heinrich reported another important phenomenon known as the
Photoelectric effect. He noticed that UV rays made the metal lose charges faster than otherwise, which led him to
publish his findings in the journal Annalen der Physik. He did not investigate this effect further on. Later, in 1905,
Albert Einstein proposed that light came in discrete packets of energy known as the photons. This discovery led to
the development of Quantum mechanics.
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German physicist, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength
range known as X-rays. This discovery earned him a Nobel Prize in Physics.
Neils Bohr & Rutherford
As discussed before, Rutherford described an atom as consisting of a positive centre mass surrounded by orbiting
electrons. Neils Bohr suspected that electrons revolved in quantized orbits. Having suspected this, Bohr worked on
Rutherford’s model and proved that particles couldn’t occupy just any energy level.
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-American physicist who created the world’s first nuclear reactor. He is widely known as
the “architect of the nuclear age” and the “architect of the atomic bomb.” He won a Nobel Prize in Physics for his
work on induced radioactivity by neutron bombardment. He also made significant contributions in the field of
quantum theory, statistical mechanics and nuclear and particle physics.
Test your knowledge on Physics scientists
Q1
1.E=mc2 was given by?
Options :
A. JJ Thomson B. Albert Einstein C. John Dalton D. Ernest Rutherford
2. This scientist is known as the "father of nuclear physics"
Options :
A. JJ Thomson B. Albert Einstein C. John Dalton D. Ernest Rutherford
3. This scientist invented the fluorescent electric lamp
Options :
A. Thomas Edison B. Henri Becquerel C. Albert Einstein D. John Dalton
4. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize.
Options :
A. Marie Curie B. Rachel Carson C. Lise Meitner D. Emmy Noether
This scientist created the world's first nuclear reactor
Options :
A. Enrico Fermi B. James Chadwick C. Henri Becquerel D. Niels Bohr
Test your knowledge on Physics scientists
Q1
1.E=mc2 was given by?
Options :
A. JJ Thomson B. Albert Einstein C. John Dalton D. Ernest Rutherford
2. This scientist is known as the "father of nuclear physics"
Options :
A. JJ Thomson B. Albert Einstein C. John Dalton D. Ernest Rutherford
3. This scientist invented the fluorescent electric lamp
Options :
A. Thomas Edison B. Henri Becquerel C. Albert Einstein D. John Dalton
4. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize.
Options :
A. Marie Curie B. Rachel Carson C. Lise Meitner D. Emmy Noether
5. This scientist created the world's first nuclear reactor
Options :
A. Enrico Fermi B. James Chadwick C. Henri Becquerel D. Niels Bohr
