Best of the Best: Physicists Trivia Quiz

Answer: Werner Heisenberg

Heisenberg was only twenty-three years old when he published his theory of quantum mechanics. It was for this theory, along with its application which resulted in the discovery of allotropic forms of hydrogen, that he received the Nobel Prize in 1932.

He is, perhaps, best known for his uncertainty principle, which is "any of a variety of mathematical inequalities asserting a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle, known as complementary variables, such as position x and momentum p, can be known".

Answer: Ernest Rutherford

Considered to be the "Father of Nuclear Physics", Ernest Rutherford was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 "for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances". This included the discovery of radioactive half-life, and finding the difference between alpha and beta radiation. One of his greatest discoveries came after the receipt of his Nobel award; his research led to the first splitting of the atom in 1917, during which time he discovered and named the proton. Using Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment, Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden discovered that every atom has a nucleus, where its positive charge and most of its mass is located.

Answer: Paul Dirac

Believed to be the foundation of quantum electrodynamics, the formulation of the Dirac Equation, a relativistic wave equation which "predicts the behavior of particles at high energies and velocities comparable to the speed of light", is considered to be the most important discovery of his career.

In addition the equation predicted the existence of antimatter, and described the actions of fermions. In 1933, Dirac shared the Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory".

Answer: Erwin Schrödinger

Although he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933 "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory", Schrödinger made several important contributions to the field of physics, including wave mechanics, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics.

His well-known thought experiment, called Schrödinger's Cat, is still discussed today. In the experiment, a cat, a flask of poison, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box, after which the cat, in a state of quantum superposition, may be both alive and dead, based on a random event that may or may not happen.

Answer: Richard Feynman

Feynman joined the Manhattan Project while working on his doctorate and was the youngest group leader in the theoretical division at Los Alamos; it was, however, his work in quantum electrodynamics, the theory of the interaction between light and matter, that led to his Nobel Prize in 1965.

In addition to his work in quantum electrodynamics, Feynman also introduced diagrams, called Feynman Diagrams, that made it easier to describe the behavior of systems of interacting particles, and collaborated with Murray Gell-Mann to devise a theory of particle spin, which is used in particle physics today.

Answer: James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell's greatest contribution to science is considered to be his theory of electromagnetic radiation. His research, called "Dynamical theory of the electromagnetic field", was presented to the Royal Society of London in 1864; in 1873 he also published a book, "A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism", which supported his theorems, called "Maxwell's Equations". Albert Einstein believed this contribution to be so important that he said, "The special theory of relativity owes its origins to Maxwell's equations of the electromagnetic field."

Answer: Enrico Fermi

Successfully splitting the element uranium and learning how to slow down neutrons led Fermi to work in the area of nuclear fission. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1938 "for his work with artificial radioactivity produced by neutrons, and for nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons".

His experiments led to his design and construction of the Chicago Pile-1, which was the first nuclear reactor to achieve a self-sustaining chain reaction. During WWII Fermi was one of the principal leaders of the Manhattan Project, and after the war was appointed to the General Advisory Committee for the Atomic Energy Commission.

Answer: Max Planck

Planck was the first to study quantum theory, which led to a better understanding of atomic and subatomic processes. It was for this discovery that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1918. In addition he is known for his Planck's Constant, which is considered to be one of the most important equation constants in theoretical physics. With a symbol of "h", Planck's Constant is an equation that describes the "fundamental physical constant characteristic of the mathematical formulations of quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of particles and waves on the atomic scale, including the particle aspect of light".

Answer: J. Robert Oppenheimer

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Oppenheimer, sometimes called the Father of the Atomic Bomb", was the head of the Los Alamos Laboratory during WWII, and worked on the design of nuclear weapons. In addition, he was part of the Manhattan Project that created the atomic bombs used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Unfortunately, Oppenheimer lost influence during the 1950s, when, as chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, he spoke in favor of international control of nuclear power and against a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. Considered to be the Father of Modern Theoretical Physics in the United States, Oppenheimer worked on many different topics without focusing on just one.

Although he never won a Nobel Prize, he was the recipient of the Enrico Fermi Award in 1963.

Answer: Albert Einstein

Although Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his discovery of the law of photoelectric effect, he is perhaps more famous for his theory of relativity and the equation E = mc2, which is called "the world's most famous equation". Often known as the "Father of Modern Physics", Einstein was the author of more than 30,000 documents; scientists today are still exploring the possibilities that may be uncovered in his theories as well as his discoveries. With a name synonymous with "genius", he is considered by many to be the most influential physicist of the twentieth century.