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Early Life and A New Model
Niels Bohr was born 7 October, 1885 to a wealthy family in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was raised from an early age to embrace the concepts of philosophy, science and literacy. After completing both his undergraduate and master's degrees, Bohr went on to attain a PhD in 1911 based on the Lorentz-Drude electron theory of metals. Finally, in 1913, Bohr's papers on atomic structure titled 'On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules: Parts I, II, III' appeared in the Philosophical Magazine. -
Building an Institution
Niels Bohr had become an established name in the field of physics as a direct result of his own work, as well as collaborations with other known physicists at the time. While paving the way for quantum mechanics as we know it today, Bohr also achieved something he had long dreamed to do: he opened a school. This school, and it's partnering institutions would go on to become something of a beacon to the scientific minds of the time. It was renamed the Niels Bohr Institute in 1965. -
Quantum Theory
Bohr's previous published work about the make-up of atoms would go on to change the old-world quantum theory over the next century. This work was so influential that it won him a Nobel prize in physics as well as caught the attention of another notable quantum-physicist, Albert Einstein. Einstein is quoted as saying, "This is one of the great discoveries." This video explains some of their discourse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bDB4Wfp7PM -
Debates with Einstein
While both men were well-versed in their field, they would go on to have several debates which would shape the world of quantum mechanics forever. During the 1927 and 1930 Solvay conferences, Einstein challenged the ides of "position-momentum" and "time-energy" uncertainties, which Bohr was able to refute both times. An important debate in 1935 lead Bohr to open the door to "quantum entanglement" which is still vital to theories about quantum physics to this very day. -
Works Cited
Mukunda, N. “The Life and Work of Niels Bohr — A Brief Sketch.” Resonance, vol. 18, no. 10, Springer, 2013, pp. 877–84, doi:10.1007/s12045-013-0114-3 "Quantum Physics | Einstein and Niels Bohr." YouTube, uploaded by PotterNextChapter, June 29, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bDB4Wfp7PM.