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Friday, November 8, 2024

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901 - An illuminating accident - NobelPrize.org


Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901

Born: 27 March 1845, Lennep, Prussia (now Remscheid, Germany)

Died: 10 February 1923, Munich, Germany

Affiliation at the time of the award: Munich University, Munich, Germany


 Röntgen studied cathode radiation, which occurs when an electrical charge is applied to two metal plates inside a glass tube filled with rarefied gas. Although the apparatus was screened off, he noticed a faint light on light-sensitive screens that happened to be close by. Further investigations revealed that this was caused by a penetrating, previously unknown type of radiation. X-ray radiation became a powerful tool for physical experiments and examining the body's interior.



The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901 - Speed read: An illuminating accident - NobelPrize.org

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