#physics

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German physicist and physician Hermann von Helmholtz was born in 1821.

His 1847 work, Über die Erhaltung der Kraft, articulated the idea that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. In physiology, he invented the ophthalmoscope in 1851. His book On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music (1863) explored the physical basis of musical harmony and the physiology of hearing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtz

Helmholtz in 1881, portrait by Ludwig Knaus. In this portrait, Helmholtz is portrayed as a man in his early sixties, with a strong, thoughtful expression. His face is characterized by sharp, defined features, including a high forehead, prominent nose, and a well-groomed mustache and beard that were typical of his era. His hair is gray, thinning slightly, but still full, adding to his distinguished appearance. Helmholtz is dressed in formal attire, wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and a bow tie, which reflects his professional standing and the seriousness with which he approached his scientific work. The clothing is meticulously detailed, with the texture of the fabric and the folds of the suit rendered with precision, showcasing Knaus's skill as a portraitist.

Happy birthday to mathematician and NASA scientist Katherine Johnson (née Coleman; August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020). One of the first Black women employed as a NASA scientist (and its predecessor NACA), she was known for her mastery of complex manual calculations of orbital mechanics and played a pivotal role in the success of the US crewed spaceflights from the beginning.🧵1/n

My linocut portrait of Katherine Johnson in a upward gradient of raspberry to purple ink (she is a Black woman in a shirt dress, with pearls, glasses and a watch, holding a pencil, facing left with her arms out on an unseen table like she was writing, looking at the viewer over her right shoulder). Behind her on the right is the Project Mercury rocket with capsule and launch trajectory in black. Beside her on right is the Earth in blue with two images of the Moon in silver above to show the trajectory for the Apollo Lunar Module.

It is time to honor Emmy Noether with a momentum unit.

For several years, I have been declaring that, in my class, one kg m/s is equal to one Noether, in honor of Emmy Noether, whose theorem shows, among other things, that space translation symmetry results in conservation of momentum.

By Geoff Nunes, Jr. via @aip
https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article/92/9/647/3309134/It-is-time-to-honor-Emmy-Noether-with-a-momentum

Noether's theorem at @wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_theorem

First page of E. Noether's paper "Invariante Variationsprobleme" (Nachrichten von der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Mathematisch-Physikalische Klasse 1918 (1918): 235-257. <http://eudml.org/doc/59024>), where she proved the homonymous theorem.

British electrical engineer Godfrey Hounsfield died in 2004.

He shared the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Allan MacLeod Cormack for his part in developing the diagnostic technique of X-ray computed tomography (CT). His name is immortalised in the Hounsfield scale, a quantitative measure of radiodensity used in evaluating CT scans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_Hounsfield

His patent showed in the figure is avaliable here:
https://patents.justia.com/patent/4115698

1975 Award Winner - Godfrey N. Hounsfield
Schematic representation of CT scanner. The author of This US Patent is Dr. Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield. Scanned by User:Tom Toyosaki. This Figure is extracted from US Patent and that patent is published before March 1, 1989 . - Figure 1 of US4,115,698 (US Patent,Published at Sep. 19,1978)[1]
Schematic representation of CT scanner. The author of This US Patent is Dr. Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield. Scanned by User:Tom Toyosaki. This Figure is extracted from US Patent and that patent is published before March 1, 1989 . - Figure 1 of US4,115,698 (US Patent,Published at Sep. 19,1978)[1]
1975 Award Winner - Godfrey N. Hounsfield His expression is thoughtful, possibly indicating his deep connection to his work and the impact of his contributions to medical imaging. The photograph likely focuses on his face, capturing the seriousness and intelligence that characterized his approach to problem-solving and innovation. The backdrop is minimal, likely a neutral or office environment, emphasizing Hounsfield himself as the focal point. This image not only marks his Nobel Prize-winning achievement but also symbolizes a pivotal moment in medical history, where Hounsfield's invention revolutionized diagnostic medicine by allowing doctors to see inside the human body with unprecedented clarity.

The Emilio Segrè Visual Archives Summer Olympics Dream Team.

It’s that time again – the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, are just around the corner! We know that physicists like to have fun, but usually such extracurricular pursuits are overshadowed by those pesky academic accomplishments and prizes.

By Elizabeth Wood, Archivist via @aip

https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/ex-libris-universum/esva-summer-olympics-dream-team?utm_source=email%2CNBLA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign%20=monthly_emails&dm_i=1ZJR,8P2U6,4FGHXK,103Y03,1

(L-R) Pierre Curie and Marie Curie stand with their bicycles. Credit: Photo from Laboratoire Curie, Institut de Physique Nucleaire, courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives. Catalog ID: Curie Pierre C7

replied to Project Gutenberg's status

Although Lattes was the main researcher and first author of the historic Nature article describing the pi meson, Cecil Powell was the only person awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1950 for his development of a photographic method for studying nuclear processes and his discovery that led to the discovery of mesons. The reason for this apparent neglect is the policy of the Nobel Committee, which until 1960 was to reward only the leader of the research group.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9sar_Lattes

Happy birthday Cesar Lattes, Brazilian physicist who was born 100 years ago!

He became well-known for his work on cosmic rays. In 1947, while working at the University of Bristol in England with Cecil Powell & Giuseppe Occhialini, he played a crucial role in the discovery of the pion. He also contributed to the early development of the CERN. Lattes worked extensively in Brazil, particularly at the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas and the Universidade Estadual de Campinas.

Photograph of César Lattes. Lattes is typically portrayed in a formal, posed manner. He is often seated or standing in a relaxed yet professional posture, looking directly at the camera or engaged in a thoughtful pose. His expression is serious and contemplative, befitting a scientist deeply engrossed in his work. There is a sense of calm intelligence in his gaze.

French science writer Amédée Guillemin was born in 1826.

Guillemin presently started writing books of physics and astronomy which became very popular. He wrote "The Sky" and "The Physical World" (5 vols.). He also wrote a series of booklets about astronomy and physics under the title "Small popular encyclopaedia", a scientifically sound but accessible collection about sciences and their applications.

Books by Amédée Guillemin at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/9614

Photo of Amédée Guillemin. An aged photograph featuring a man sporting a long beard, capturing a timeless style.