02 July - William Henry Bragg death anniversary

 

Sir William Henry Bragg (1862–1942) was a British physicist and mathematician who, along with his son Sir William Lawrence Bragg, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915 for their work on X-ray crystallography. Here are some key points about William Henry Bragg:

1. Early Life and Education: William Henry Bragg was born on 02 July 1862, in Wigton, Cumberland, England. He studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated in 1884.

2. Academic Career: Bragg worked as a lecturer in mathematics and physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia from 1886 to 1909. During his time there, he made significant contributions to the field of physics, particularly in the study of the properties of electricity.

3. X-ray Crystallography: In the early 20th century, W. H. Bragg, along with his son Lawrence Bragg, conducted groundbreaking research on X-ray crystallography. They developed a method to determine the arrangement of atoms within a crystal by analyzing the diffraction patterns produced when X-rays passed through a crystal lattice.

4. Nobel Prize in Physics (1915): The Braggs were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915 for their pioneering work on X-ray crystallography. This work laid the foundation for the determination of crystal structures, which has been crucial in fields such as chemistry, biology, and materials science.

5. World War I Service: During World War I, W. H. Bragg served in the Royal Engineers, contributing his expertise to the development of sound-ranging techniques for locating enemy artillery.

6. Later Career: After the war, Bragg returned to academic life and served as the Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Leeds from 1919 to 1937.

7. Honors and Legacy: W. H. Bragg received numerous honors throughout his career, including being knighted in 1920. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1907 and served as its president from 1935 to 1940.

8. Death: Sir William Henry Bragg passed away on March 10, 1942, in London, England.

The contributions of William Henry Bragg, particularly in the field of X-ray crystallography, have had a profound and lasting impact on various scientific disciplines, and the method developed by the Braggs is still widely used today in the study of crystal structures.