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Born
Born in Wurzburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire -
Achieved his Doctorate
At age 22, Heisenberg graduated with a doctorate having completed his dissertation on hydrodynamics. His dissertation defense was weak, but at this time he became very accomplished in quantum physics. Heisenberg developed a model that accounted for the Zeeman effect at this time. -
Founded Quantum Mechanics
With his university friends and mentors, Werner used matrix algebra, to tackle one dimensional vibration problems of spectrum intensities of the electron. Their paper founded Quantum Mechanics. -
Published his Uncertainty Principle
Werner Heisenberg stated that it is impossible to know a particles position and momentum simultaneously. This TedEd Video is very informative:
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Awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics
After the discovery of the neutron, Heisenberg created a proton-neutron interaction model that accurately described the strong nuclear force. This term would not be coined for decades later. -
Heisenberg and the Nazis
Since the Nazis did not support abstract ideas in physics like quantum mechanics, Heisenberg was outcast as the Nazi party was becoming prevalent. -
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World War II
Heisenberg assisted in German nuclear reactor and weapon research that was unsuccessful. Some speculate that he was incompetent, while others think that he sabotaged the Nazi work. He was captured at the end of the war. -
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Post War
After being released post WWII, Heisenberg assisted society with many things concerning physics, namely founding the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) and serving as a director for the Max Planck Institute for Physics. -
Died
Died in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany