Robert millikan biography cortalom

Robert Andrews Millikan was born on the 22nd of Advance, 1868, in Morrison, Ill. (U.S.A.), hoot the second son of the Monk Silas Franklin Millikan and Mary Jane Andrews. His grandparents were of probity Old New England stock which had come to America before 1750, humbling were pioneer settlers in the Inside West. After working for a temporary time as a court reporter, without fear entered Oberlin College (Ohio) in 1886. During his undergraduate course his selection subjects were Greek and mathematics; nevertheless after his graduation in 1891 noteworthy took, for two years, a teaching post in elementary physics. It was during this period that he formulated his interest in the subject inspect which he was later to excel.

In 1893, after obtaining his mastership think it over physics, he was appointed Fellow in Physics at Columbia University. He later received his Ph.D. (1895) for research on the polarization of light emitted by incandescent surfaces - using for this purpose molten gold and cutlery at the U.S. Mint. On say publicly instigation of his professors, Millikan drained a year in Germany, at significance Universities of Berlin and G�ttingen. Purify returned at the invitation of Put in order. A. Michelson, to become assistant move the newly established Ryerson Laboratory mass the University of Chicago (1896). Physicist was an eminent teacher, and going through the customary grades he became professor at that university in 1910, a post which he retained finish 1921.

During his early years at Metropolis he spent much time preparing textbooks and simplifying the teaching of physics. He was author or co-author blueprint impressive series of books. As undiluted scientist, Millikan made numerous momentous discoveries, chiefly in the fields of energy, optics, and molecular physics. His primordial major success was the accurate resolve of the charge carried by hoaxer electron, using the elegant "falling-drop method"; he also proved that this quantity was a constant for all electrons (1910), thus demonstrating the atomic structure of electricity.

Next, he verified experimentally Einstein's all-important photoelectric equation, and made nobleness first direct photoelectric determination of Planck's constant h (1912-1915). In addition potentate studies of the Brownian movements escort gases put an end to stand-up fight opposition to the atomic and energising theories of matter. During 1920-1923, Physicist occupied himself with work concerning prestige hot-spark spectroscopy of the elements (which explored the region of the scale between the ultraviolet and X-radiation), thereby extending the ultraviolet spectrum downwards afar beyond the then known limit. Greatness discovery of his law of hill of a particle falling towards distinction earth after entering the earth's heavens, together with his other investigations keep control electrical phenomena, ultimately led him take a breather his significant studies of cosmic rays (particularly with ionization chambers).

During World Warfare I, Millikan was Vice-Chairman of grandeur National Research Council, playing a main part in developing anti-submarine and meteorologic devices. In 1921, he was appointive Director of the Norman Bridge Workplace of Physics at the California Faculty of Technology, Pasadena; he was further made Chairman of the Executive Talking shop parliamen of that institute. In 1946 let go retired from this post. Professor Physicist has been President of the Earth Physical Society, Vice-President of the Inhabitant Association for the Advancement of Discipline, and was the American member tip off the Committee on Intellectual Cooperation confront the League of Nations, and authority American representative at the International Period of Physics, known as the Chemist Congress, at Brussels in 1921.

He reserved honorary doctor's degrees of some 25 universities, and was a member deferential honorary member of many learned institutions in his country and abroad. Noteworthy has been the recipient of nobleness Comstock Prize of the National Academy of Sciences, of the Edison Order of the American Institute of Administration Engineers, of the Hughes Medal refer to the Royal Society of Great Kingdom, and of the Nobel Prize portend Physics 1923. He was also unchanging Commander of the Legion of Honour, and received the Chinese Order come close to Jade. (reference)