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Birth and Background
Werner Heisenberg was born December 5, 1901. He was the son of Dr. August Heisenberg and Annie Wecklein. He attended Maximillian school in Munich, Germany until 1920. Werner went on to study physics at the University of Munich . This is where he began his passion for physics and later went to Gottingen to further his education and research. -
Published theory of quantum mechanics
At the young age of 23, Heisenberg published his first theory, the theory of quantum mechanics. A couple years later, he added the uncertainty principle to his work. This new principle threw a wrench into the world of quantum physics. The uncertainty principle roughly states, “one cannot assign exact simultaneous values to the position and momentum of a physical system; these quantities can only be determined with some characteristic uncertainties” (Hilgavoord & Uffink, 2016). -
Winner of Nobel Prize in Physics
Heisenberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932 for his research in quantum mechanics and ultimate discovery of allotropic forms of hydrogen. His work in quantum mechanics was fueled by observing radiation emitted by an atom and formed matrix equations to represent mechanical quantities. -
President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
When Heisenberg became President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he worked tirelessly to bring scientists from other countries throughout the world to Germany. This was one of the policies of this Foundation. His own work continued, returning to physics and he worked closely with the International Institute of Atomic Physics at Geneva. He even became Chairman of the Scientific Policy Committee for this Institute. -
Death and Life Awards
Werner Heisenberg passed away on February 1, 1976. During his lifetime, we was awarded numerous medals and prizes. He was a member of Academies of Sciences for over ten countries.