Of course I like
Einstein
Einstein
Who is your favorite scientist?
My favorite scientist is Archimedes. Although he is better known as a mathematician and engineer, he did make a lot of advances in the field of physics; he also studied astronomy.
Favourite scientist alive would be Roger Penrose (because of what I have learned from reading his books).
Favourite scientist in my lifetime would be Richard Feynman (for the same reason).
Favourite scientist in my lifetime would be Richard Feynman (for the same reason).
Leonardo DaVinci - the man was way ahead of his time. He invented parachutes before there were even planes to jump out of 
Leonardo DaVinci had great ideas, but Einstein was way ahead of his time too. I don't really have a favorite scientist, because I only know a few scientists. I am interested in sciences though, but not every science.
Darwin is my favorite.
TESLA!
Einstein, you are the same with me| handfleisch wrote: |
| TESLA! |
Awesome. ^_^;
I like Stephen Hawking because of his determination
bohr
For physics:
It's Newton.
He put the law of Gravitation.
The very "first" physician who ever grasped physics concepts.
For mathematics:
It's Euler:
well, for his contribution in geometry and algera which is a real treasure in mathematics.
It's Newton.
He put the law of Gravitation.
The very "first" physician who ever grasped physics concepts.
For mathematics:
It's Euler:
well, for his contribution in geometry and algera which is a real treasure in mathematics.
| Jinx wrote: |
| Leonardo DaVinci - the man was way ahead of his time. |
Leonardo DaVinci had far too much talent for one lifetime. Imagine what he could have achieved if he specialized? Indeed, if there were fields there in the first place... he pretty much invented paleontology to disprove the church's claim that fossilized sea creatures were found in mountain ranges because of the flood (Noah and Nelly and all that). As pointed out by Stephen Jay Gould though, that very much places him in his time rather than ahead of it. He was trying to prove an alternative theory of the time, that the earth was analogous to a living body. He wanted to prove that the sea creatures were washed up to the mountains by the earth's circulatory system, analogous to blood circulation in the body. The Mona Lisa is also an illustration of his belief in this theory. The flow of her hair corresponds to the waterfall in the background, etc.
I have to admire the likes of Galileo and Copernicus - they were seeking out the truth (or rather, the scientific version of the truth - what could be the case given the evidence) at the risk of being more than shown the instruments of the inquisition.
The right to do this enabled the enlightenment and the scientific method.
The question is, is this now in retreat - are we entering an endarkenment? Religious rights seem to be overtaken the right to speak or seek the truth...
B.
| barmstonian wrote: |
| The question is, is this now in retreat - are we entering an endarkenment? Religious rights seem to be overtaken the right to speak or seek the truth... |
Religious voices are louder, not stronger. It's too late for them to reassert control of the world - their time is up, they're on the way out, and they know it (which is the real reason for this "revival").
If religion in one area tries to silence science, another area will take it up - with the promised benefits of science there's no way someone wouldn't want it under their wing. The balance of the world may change as the current leaders surrender to religious conservative pressure and new powers emerge to take scientific dominance (one likely scenario is that American technological dominance will be taken over by the Chinese), which may slow down the clock of progress a little bit, but not stop it or turn it back.
I have to agree. Europe, for example, is pretty secular now. The church does have some influence, but not nearly as much as it once had (or would like to have). The situation in the US appears (from a distance) to be slightly different - more religiosity - but I doubt whether this will take precedence over profit for too long and, as Indi says, there will always be others to take up scientific challenges and research if the US lags behind - stem-cell research being a notable example.
I like Nicola Tesla..
| Quote: |
|
“If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor.”~Nicola Tesla |
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
Dr Abdus Salam
My favourite would have to be Albert Einstein. He's one of the greatest thinkers and brainiest of scientists.
Einstein rules, hail EINSTEIN.
| everfine99 wrote: |
| Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan |
Whiskey tango foxtrot? O_o
AQ Khan
I would certainly not class him as a great scientists, and if, everfine99, he is your favourite scientist then I think you need to do a bit more reading on some of the truly great people in science
I would certainly not class him as a great scientists, and if, everfine99, he is your favourite scientist then I think you need to do a bit more reading on some of the truly great people in science
Einstein for sure if it is Physics and any other physical sciences.
If it comes to metaphysics, I would agree with Sri Adi Sankaracharya for his works on Advita Vedanta.
If it comes to metaphysics, I would agree with Sri Adi Sankaracharya for his works on Advita Vedanta.
Feynman is one for sure. Carl Sagan is another.
Laplace and James Clark Maxwell
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev - 'The Father of the Periodic Table'
Though the Periodic Table had been established to some degree, this amazing scientist was the first to categorize them more appropriately in a manner that began to predict the properties of elements in each corresponding 'Family' or Group. It's an amazing feat that we all learn to utilize in High School through our Chemistry courses.
Though the Periodic Table had been established to some degree, this amazing scientist was the first to categorize them more appropriately in a manner that began to predict the properties of elements in each corresponding 'Family' or Group. It's an amazing feat that we all learn to utilize in High School through our Chemistry courses.
Would have to be Aristotle, Ibn al-Haytham, Freud, and Einstein. Except possibly for Aristotle, each scientist is responsible for a "paradigm shift."
Freud? Scientist? You think so?
Einstein or Terence Tao, if we count mathematicians as scientists.
Carl Sagan. Sure! 
| Ivanluisky wrote: |
| Carl Sagan. Sure! |
Well, I liked CS a lot and I think he did a lot for science - particularly popularising science. I don't think he was a great scientist, but that wasn't the question - so that's fair enough.
Mu favourite work by Sagan (apart from the 'Cosmos' series) is his book - The Demon Haunted World. I recommend it to anyone tempted by pseudo-science, new age nonsense, UFOlogy and other assorted bunkum.
I'm surprised no one has said Bill Nye yet. That man used to be my childhood hero. Of course, as I got older, I started admiring the works of Richard Feynman.
| kitsrock wrote: |
| I'm surprised no one has said Bill Nye yet. That man used to be my childhood hero. Of course, as I got older, I started admiring the works of Richard Feynman. |
Well if we're going go to that road, i'd have to mention Julius Sumner Miller: The Professor. ^_^;
Beats Nye hands down because:
- He was actually a real physicist.
- He was a student and close friend of Albert Einstein.
- His catchphrase - "why is it so?" - captures the spirit of science much better than "science rules".
| kitsrock wrote: |
| I'm surprised no one has said Bill Nye yet. That man used to be my childhood hero. Of course, as I got older, I started admiring the works of Richard Feynman. |
That guy was hilarious! I watched him all the time... Just like you, I started liking Feynman much more as I got older. Feynman was not only a great scientist, he was also a pretty cool person (from what I've read about him; I never met him).
Indi: I guess I mentioned Bill Nye because he was around when I was in elementary school. But The Professor sounds pretty neat. I think I'll go and try dig up old episodes or something.
Erlenmeyer. He invented my favorite kind of flask, and also, he had a sweet beard.
Newton, for his laws of physics, and Galileo, for the telescope and his work in astronomy.
| jsk02a wrote: |
| Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev - 'The Father of the Periodic Table'
Though the Periodic Table had been established to some degree, this amazing scientist was the first to categorize them more appropriately in a manner that began to predict the properties of elements in each corresponding 'Family' or Group. It's an amazing feat that we all learn to utilize in High School through our Chemistry courses. |
Mendeleev was a great man. But Newton would have to be my favorite. Gravity is AWESOME.
Without a doubt my favorite scientist is the "first" scientist. Galileo. Reading the history of Galileo always inspires me and gives me strength to continue doing science.
well considering the perfectionists , "Leonardo da vinci " .He was a SCIENTIST, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer.
Being an all rounder in his life , does not shadow his greatest contributions for SCIENCE. He was the one who actually proposed the first designs for a "flying machine" and many more .
And " Albert Einstein " is my best ones , as he was a pure genius , he just revolutionised the whole Newtonian physics .
Being an all rounder in his life , does not shadow his greatest contributions for SCIENCE. He was the one who actually proposed the first designs for a "flying machine" and many more .
And " Albert Einstein " is my best ones , as he was a pure genius , he just revolutionised the whole Newtonian physics .
Hm, Da Vinci of course, Einstein, too... and of living scientists, Stephen Hawking.
Erwin Schrödinger must be very bright, too, but he wouldn't make it into my favourite scientists Maybe his Schrödinger-equation is just too scary for me 
Hmm, if it counts, I'd take Jules Verne, too!
Erwin Schrödinger must be very bright, too, but he wouldn't make it into my favourite scientists
Maybe his Schrödinger-equation is just too scary for me
Hmm, if it counts, I'd take Jules Verne, too!
No doubt that it is newton. I think newton is one of the perfect scientist in the world. He had efficiency in both physics and mathematics. Maximum scientists gave more than one law about science in their life and maximum of them proved as false later. Newton is the scientist who gave many laws in his life and they are still unchanged in this modern world. He was really genus. After newton, Einstein is my favorite scientist.
Lomonosov was made a full member of the Academy, and named professor of chemistry, in 1745.He established the Academy's first chemistry laboratory.
Eager to improve Russia’s educational system, in 1755, Lomonosov joined his patron Count Ivan Shuvalov in founding the Moscow State University
In 1756, Lomonosov tried to replicate Robert Boyle's experiment of 1673. He concluded that the commonly accepted phlogiston theory was false. Anticipating the discoveries of Antoine Lavoisier, he wrote in his diary: "Today I made an experiment in hermetic glass vessels in order to determine whether the mass of metals increases from the action of pure heat. The experiments – of which I append the record in 13 pages – demonstrated that the famous Robert Boyle was deluded, for without access of air from outside the mass of the burnt metal remains the same".
He regarded heat as a form of motion, suggested the wave theory of light, contributed to the formulation of the kinetic theory of gases, and stated the idea of conservation of matter in the following words: "All changes in nature are such that inasmuch is taken from one object insomuch is added to another. So, if the amount of matter decreases in one place, it increases elsewhere. This universal law of nature embraces laws of motion as well, for an object moving others by its own force in fact imparts to another object the force it loses" (first articulated in a letter to Leonhard Euler dated 5 July 1748, rephrased and published in Lomonosov's dissertation "Reflexion on the solidity and fluidity of bodies", 1760).
In 1762, Lomonosov presented his improved construction of Newton and Gregory telescopes, showcasing working devices before the Russian Academy of Sciences forum. His telescope had only one concave mirror, adjusted at four degrees to telescope's axis. Reflected and concentrated rays went to side-placed ocular. However, this invention was not published until 1827, so this type of improved model became associated with name of William Herschel, whose work dated by years later.
Lomonosov was the first person to record the freezing of mercury and to hypothesize the existence of an atmosphere on Venus based on his observation of the transit of Venus of 1761 in a small observatory near his house in Petersburg. Believing that nature is subject to regular and continuous evolution, he demonstrated the organic origin of soil, peat, coal, petroleum and amber. In 1745, he published a catalogue of over 3,000 minerals, and in 1760, he explained the formation of icebergs.
As a geographer, Lomonosov got close to the theory of continental drift, theoretically predicted the existence of Antarctica (he argued that icebergs of the South Ocean could only be formed on a dry land covered with ice), and invented sea tools which made writing and calculating directions and distances easier. In 1764, he organized an expedition (led by Admiral Vasili Chichagov) to find the Northeast Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by sailing along the northern coast of Siberia.
Grave of Lomonosov in Lazarev Cemetery, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Saint Petersburg
Lomonosov was proud to restore the ancient art of mosaics. In 1754, in his letter to Leonard Euler, he wrote that his three years of experiments on the effects of chemistry of minerals on their colour led to him became very involved into the mosaics art. In 1763, he set up a glass factory that produced the first stained glass mosaics outside of Italy. There were forty mosaics attributed to Lomonosov, with only twenty-four surviving to the present day. Among the best is the portrait of Peter the Great and the Battle of Poltava, measuring 4.8 x 6.4 meters.
In 1755, he wrote a grammar that reformed the Russian literary language by combining Old Church Slavonic with the vernacular tongue. To further his literary theories, he wrote more than 20 solemn ceremonial odes, notably the Evening Meditation on the God's Grandeur. He applied an idiosyncratic theory to his later poems – tender subjects needed words containing the front vowel sounds E, I, YU, whereas things that may cause fear (like "anger", "envy", "pain" and "sorrow") needed words with back vowel sounds O, U, Y. That was a version of what is now called sound symbolism. Lomonosov published a history of Russia in 1760
Last edited by mikakiev on Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
Eager to improve Russia’s educational system, in 1755, Lomonosov joined his patron Count Ivan Shuvalov in founding the Moscow State University
In 1756, Lomonosov tried to replicate Robert Boyle's experiment of 1673. He concluded that the commonly accepted phlogiston theory was false. Anticipating the discoveries of Antoine Lavoisier, he wrote in his diary: "Today I made an experiment in hermetic glass vessels in order to determine whether the mass of metals increases from the action of pure heat. The experiments – of which I append the record in 13 pages – demonstrated that the famous Robert Boyle was deluded, for without access of air from outside the mass of the burnt metal remains the same".
He regarded heat as a form of motion, suggested the wave theory of light, contributed to the formulation of the kinetic theory of gases, and stated the idea of conservation of matter in the following words: "All changes in nature are such that inasmuch is taken from one object insomuch is added to another. So, if the amount of matter decreases in one place, it increases elsewhere. This universal law of nature embraces laws of motion as well, for an object moving others by its own force in fact imparts to another object the force it loses" (first articulated in a letter to Leonhard Euler dated 5 July 1748, rephrased and published in Lomonosov's dissertation "Reflexion on the solidity and fluidity of bodies", 1760).
In 1762, Lomonosov presented his improved construction of Newton and Gregory telescopes, showcasing working devices before the Russian Academy of Sciences forum. His telescope had only one concave mirror, adjusted at four degrees to telescope's axis. Reflected and concentrated rays went to side-placed ocular. However, this invention was not published until 1827, so this type of improved model became associated with name of William Herschel, whose work dated by years later.
Lomonosov was the first person to record the freezing of mercury and to hypothesize the existence of an atmosphere on Venus based on his observation of the transit of Venus of 1761 in a small observatory near his house in Petersburg. Believing that nature is subject to regular and continuous evolution, he demonstrated the organic origin of soil, peat, coal, petroleum and amber. In 1745, he published a catalogue of over 3,000 minerals, and in 1760, he explained the formation of icebergs.
As a geographer, Lomonosov got close to the theory of continental drift, theoretically predicted the existence of Antarctica (he argued that icebergs of the South Ocean could only be formed on a dry land covered with ice), and invented sea tools which made writing and calculating directions and distances easier. In 1764, he organized an expedition (led by Admiral Vasili Chichagov) to find the Northeast Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by sailing along the northern coast of Siberia.
Grave of Lomonosov in Lazarev Cemetery, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Saint Petersburg
Lomonosov was proud to restore the ancient art of mosaics. In 1754, in his letter to Leonard Euler, he wrote that his three years of experiments on the effects of chemistry of minerals on their colour led to him became very involved into the mosaics art. In 1763, he set up a glass factory that produced the first stained glass mosaics outside of Italy. There were forty mosaics attributed to Lomonosov, with only twenty-four surviving to the present day. Among the best is the portrait of Peter the Great and the Battle of Poltava, measuring 4.8 x 6.4 meters.
In 1755, he wrote a grammar that reformed the Russian literary language by combining Old Church Slavonic with the vernacular tongue. To further his literary theories, he wrote more than 20 solemn ceremonial odes, notably the Evening Meditation on the God's Grandeur. He applied an idiosyncratic theory to his later poems – tender subjects needed words containing the front vowel sounds E, I, YU, whereas things that may cause fear (like "anger", "envy", "pain" and "sorrow") needed words with back vowel sounds O, U, Y. That was a version of what is now called sound symbolism. Lomonosov published a history of Russia in 1760
Last edited by mikakiev on Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
^^Make sure that if you are going to copy and paste something that you cite it as well, so people know where you got it from.
How can you choose just one? I can't do it, Galileo is one of my favorites, but I just love the stories about Newton as well, what an iteresting character, anyone see the History Channel documentory on his life? he was a nut that came out of his shell, but a brilliant nut all the same. Maxwell, another of my favorites, and Einstein working as a mail clerk when he wote the proof for E=MC2. Maybe I would put Tesla in there for my favorite because he was so damn pratical, power system, radio, and so many other things he pattened. I have a tough time choosing one, it's like asking me which chocolate I like best?
One of my favorite stories I read was about Copernicus, he knew the earth was round and rotated around the sun for years, but he kept his mouth shut because he was afraid of loosing his head, literally! When he finally came out publically with his claim he was hauled before the Pope, and the Pope asked him: Why would you want anyone to ever believe what you have stated, the whole world believes that the world is flat and the center of the universe, why would you ever want to refute that? His answer was simple, "No matter how many people believe something, a lie is still a lie, and the truth is still the truth". Kind of hard to argue with that logic, don't you think?
One of my favorite stories I read was about Copernicus, he knew the earth was round and rotated around the sun for years, but he kept his mouth shut because he was afraid of loosing his head, literally! When he finally came out publically with his claim he was hauled before the Pope, and the Pope asked him: Why would you want anyone to ever believe what you have stated, the whole world believes that the world is flat and the center of the universe, why would you ever want to refute that? His answer was simple, "No matter how many people believe something, a lie is still a lie, and the truth is still the truth". Kind of hard to argue with that logic, don't you think?
It is very hard to choose one since many played a part in so much over the past. The most inspiring of course is Einstein and his work has led to lot of other breakthroughs which if not impossible would have been much delayed.
However as for personal favorite my vote goes for Dr. Abdus Salam from Pakistan. The reasons for this is because of the religious hardship I have seen and suffered myself in Pakistan that he went through to be where he is known to be by all of us. What ever the case, religious fundamentalism did not manage to stop him to be seen as one of the great physicist known to man. It is sad that only person managed to get that far and how many others are buried down the man made troubles every day never to see the day light again. Dr. Abdus Salam's work apart from Physics included setting up the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Pakistan's Space Program in 1960's which of course was built up by AK Khan. He also funded and founded 5 technology colleges in Pakistan to get more talent out the country. And of course he was the founder of ICTP (International Center of Theoretical Physics, Italy) which is now known as Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics. His legacy is still alive and he is an inspiration to many.
As for AK Khan, I don't consider him as great scientist, I give him credit to lead the nuclear program for Pakistan and take it to a stage where they were able to produce Plutonium which can be used for War Heads and Energy production etc. But there is no breakthrough here, all of the technology was there since Americans attacked Japan with first nuke. And besides it is a work for a nation tailored for that nation and does not benefit globally. Great scientists are those who produce something that benefits the entire world regardless of nation/race/color.
/2p
However as for personal favorite my vote goes for Dr. Abdus Salam from Pakistan. The reasons for this is because of the religious hardship I have seen and suffered myself in Pakistan that he went through to be where he is known to be by all of us. What ever the case, religious fundamentalism did not manage to stop him to be seen as one of the great physicist known to man. It is sad that only person managed to get that far and how many others are buried down the man made troubles every day never to see the day light again. Dr. Abdus Salam's work apart from Physics included setting up the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Pakistan's Space Program in 1960's which of course was built up by AK Khan. He also funded and founded 5 technology colleges in Pakistan to get more talent out the country. And of course he was the founder of ICTP (International Center of Theoretical Physics, Italy) which is now known as Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics. His legacy is still alive and he is an inspiration to many.
As for AK Khan, I don't consider him as great scientist, I give him credit to lead the nuclear program for Pakistan and take it to a stage where they were able to produce Plutonium which can be used for War Heads and Energy production etc. But there is no breakthrough here, all of the technology was there since Americans attacked Japan with first nuke. And besides it is a work for a nation tailored for that nation and does not benefit globally. Great scientists are those who produce something that benefits the entire world regardless of nation/race/color.
/2p
Einstein, Stephen Fleming, C V Raman
Although he was more of a mathematician than scientist, I have always had a fondness for Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī for basically inventing algebra, which gave most other sciences a huge push forward.
| myviny wrote: |
| Einstein, Stephen Fleming, C V Raman |
I agree. Einstein my best.
| sabya wrote: |
| Of course I like
Einstein |
a favourite of a lot of people. But my favourites are the inventors of the transistor, John Bardeen, William Bradley Shockley and Walter Brattain
The impact that they had on modern life is not realised by most. Just imagine modern life without their invertion.
No TV, satellite, iPod, GPS etc. etc.
Briefly from the encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572757/Transistor.html
"In 1948, In the United States, U.S. physicists John Bardeen, William Bradley Shockley and Walter Brattain develop the transistor in research at Bell Telephone Laboratories. A solid-state mechanism for generating, amplifying, and controlling electrical impulses, it revolutionizes the electronics industry by enabling the miniaturization of computers, radios and televisions, as well as the development of guided missiles."
My fave scientist, hmmmmmm.
Well Einstein is an obvious choice. A great thinker and a true revolutionist. He disregarded common thinking and started afresh. His results are marvellous. Also his pursuit of the 'Theory of Everything' was great, even on his death bed he was still looking. We all need to follow his example and find this ellusive equation, it's out there.
However Einstein will not be my favorite today, there are others to concider.
Galileo
Bohr
Tesla
Planck
Newton
But I give the award to...
Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza
His ideas on adding extra dimensions to space-time appear in string theory and help to explain it. And in Einsteins honor, we study string theory to discover the 'Theory of Everything'.
Neilos
Well Einstein is an obvious choice. A great thinker and a true revolutionist. He disregarded common thinking and started afresh. His results are marvellous. Also his pursuit of the 'Theory of Everything' was great, even on his death bed he was still looking. We all need to follow his example and find this ellusive equation, it's out there.
However Einstein will not be my favorite today, there are others to concider.
Galileo
Bohr
Tesla
Planck
Newton
But I give the award to...
Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza
His ideas on adding extra dimensions to space-time appear in string theory and help to explain it. And in Einsteins honor, we study string theory to discover the 'Theory of Everything'.
Neilos
Davinci and Tesla
Leonardo Davinci cause he invented everything from the first mahine gun to a robot to a self powered car to a helicopter and they actually work. especially his cart it actually works
Nikola Tesla. way better than edison he didn't even create the light bulb. he actually didn't it was 2 canadian scientists who created the working lightbulb and sold it to him for 2000 dollars. all he did was convert it to DC cause thats the electricity that he invented. Nikola "invetented" AC and the Tesla Coil (among other things) which kicks ass
Leonardo Davinci cause he invented everything from the first mahine gun to a robot to a self powered car to a helicopter and they actually work. especially his cart it actually works
Nikola Tesla. way better than edison he didn't even create the light bulb. he actually didn't it was 2 canadian scientists who created the working lightbulb and sold it to him for 2000 dollars. all he did was convert it to DC cause thats the electricity that he invented. Nikola "invetented" AC and the Tesla Coil (among other things) which kicks ass
Well mathematics is the tool used in science. So I feel it's NEWTON whether it's Physics Or Mathematics..!!
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