1915---1950

** [] Date of Death- January 4, 1961 Place of Origin- Vienna, Austria Year of Discovery- 1926** It was clear that Erwin Schrodinger inherited his intelligence from his father, who himself was a very educated man with background in both Italian painting and chemistry. Erwin had not only the same appreciation for science, but also have the same admiration for the arts, as he loved the style of ancient German poetry. He continued his education all the way up to the University of Vienna where he met his mentor Fritz Hasenöhr who taught him and led him down the path toward great future achievements. After he left, Schrodinger did several years of position bouncing until he found a comfortable place in the University of Zurich. This was his place, where he could focus and stay in the zone, and it was where he kept himself busy with several projects for 6 years. But not only that, it was in the University of Zurich where Schrodinger made his greatest discovery, Schrödinger's wave equation.
 * Erwin Schrodinger
 * Date of Birth-** **August 12, 1887

What scientists discovered that even though certain parts of the atom, like the electron, were considered solid particles, they for some reason displayed wavelike features. Although it was bizarre, it presented a very unique opportunity. If someone where to find a patter and form an equation, they could discover moles of new information about atoms. Schrodinger was the first man to take advantage of this and created Schrödinger's wave equation. It is simply an equation that shows entire wave properties of matter. []

Werner Heisenberg []  Date of Death- ? Place of Origin- Würzburg, Germany. Year of Discovery-1925 ** Born in Germany to a professor of the Greek language, Werner Heisenberg attended Maximilian school at Munich until he graduated and enrolled in the University of Munich. It was there where he decided to study physics for several years, until 1922 when he traveled to Göttingen to broaden his studies. He switched back and forth from the University of Munich back to Göttingen to receive a Ph.D. Soon after, he traveled to the University of Copenhagen where at the age of 25, became Lecturer in Theoretical Physics. One year later, Heisenberg moved on and was appointed the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Leipzig. And as if it couldn’t get any better from there, in 1941, he became a Professor of Physics at the University of Berlin. But at the end of World War II, he and many other physicists were made prisoners by the American Army, but were released a year later.  But none of this happened before Heisenberg made his greatest contribution to Chemistry, if not all of science, the theory of quantum mechanics. Although there are many factors to this theory, none are better known than his Principle of Uncertainty. “The act of measuring one magnitude of a particle, be it its mass, its velocity, or its position, causes the other magnitudes to blur. This is not due to imprecise measurements. Technology is advanced enough to hypothetically yield correct measurements. The blurring of these magnitudes is a fundamental property of nature” (thebigview.com). What he said is that no matter what, it is simply impossible determine the position and momentum of a particle at any given point in time.
 * Date of Birth- December 5, 1901

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The electron cloud model of the atom came about through the efforts of several famous scientists overtime. Although Werner Heisenberg is mainly given the credit for this model, it can not go unsaid that it also came about through the efforts of Ernest Rutherford, Erwin Schrödinger, and Niels Bohr as well. Heisenberg’s electron cloud model came about after it became apparent that it was not possible to completely determine the exact position of an electron. Unlike previous models, the electron was not in fact on an orbit and could only be predicted through probability.

Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle states that it is “not possible to obtain precise values of both poison and momentum of a particle at the same time (website link at bottom).” The electron cloud model as shown below, represents his principle since the only way to find the location of an electron with in an atom is through the means of probability. Today, atom models that show electrons on an orbit around the nucleus are in fact not as accurate as the electron cloud model.

The Electron Cloud Model...



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If the image above doesn't help you understand the idea, try this clip from youtube to give you a better picture: [] James Chadwick 

Date of Death- July 24, 1974 Place of Origin- Cheshire, England Year of Discovery-1925 ** James Chadwick was born as the son of John Joseph Chadwick and Anne Mary Knowles. To begin his education in the sciences, Chadwick attended Manchester High School until he was accepted by Manchester University. It was there he began his quest for knowledge of physics until he graduated from the Honours School of Physics. Soon after, Chadwick just began receiving quality positions right and left. In only 14 years, he was elected Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, became Assistant Director of Research in the Cavendish Laboratory, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
 * Date of Birth- October 20, 1891

But it wasn’t for his charisma that he received these positions, but for his great contribution to science, the discovery of neutrons. Unlike the proton which has a positive charge, and unlike the electron which has a negative charge, the neutron is simply neutral and lacking an electrical charge altogether. Because of this fact though, neutrons have an advantage over its two counterparts. The nucleus of an atom has an extremely powerful electrical field that turns away anything with a charge. But since a neutron is missing just that, it does not need to “overcome any electric barrier and is capable of penetrating and splitting the nuclei of even the heaviest elements” (nobelprize.org). With this discovery, Chadwick was able to help plan, design, and help with the creation of the first atomic bomb. []