Werner Heisenberg Biography and Inventions.
                     Werner Heisenberg: 
Biography and Inventions
Introduction
• Werner Heisenberg was a German physicist and philosopher who is noted for 
his crucial contributions to quantum mechanics.
• Heisenberg is widely considered as one of the most influential figures in 
nuclear physics, particle physics and quantum field theory.
Source: www.famousscientists.org
Early Life 
• Werner Karl Heisenberg was born on December 5, 1901, in Würzburg, 
Germany, the son of August and Annie Wecklein Heisenberg. As a boy 
Heisenberg began playing the piano early and was playing master 
compositions by the age of thirteen.
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Education
• It was his father's commitment to academic learning, however, that led him 
to pursue the science he loved. He graduated from the University of Munich, 
where his father was professor of Greek language and literature.
Source: https://www.notablebiographies.com
Contributions 
• Werner Heisenberg ranks alongside Niels Bohr, Paul Dirac and Richard 
Feynman as far as his influence on contemporary physics is concerned. 
• He was one of the most important figures in the development of quantum 
mechanics, and its modern interpretation.
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Quantum theory 
• Heisenberg formulated the quantum theory of ferromagnetism, the neutron-
proton model of the nucleus, the S-matrix theory in particle scattering, and 
various other significant breakthroughs in quantum field theory and high-
energy particle physics are associated with him. 
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Research Paper
• As a prolific author, Heisenberg wrote more than 600 original research 
papers, philosophical essays and explanations for general audiences. His 
work is still available in the nine volumes of the “Gesammelte Werke” 
(Collected Works).
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Nobel Prize for Physics
• Heisenberg is synonymous with the so-called uncertainty, or indeterminacy, 
principle of 1927, for one of the earliest breakthroughs to quantum 
mechanics in 1925, and for his suggestion of a unified field theory, the so-
called “world formula”. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1932 at the 
young age of 31.
Source: www.famousscientists.org
Questionable role in war
• As a theoretical scientist, Heisenberg was initially held in low regard and was 
even considered suspect by the Nazi government. 
• However, when World War II began, the government appointed him as 
director of the German uranium (a dangerous element) project, and he 
worked on developing an atomic bomb for Germany.
Source: https://www.notablebiographies.com
Applications of nuclear 
fission
• Heisenberg stayed firmly in Germany during the worst years of the Hitler 
regime, heading Germany’s research effort on the applications of nuclear 
fission during World War II. 
• He also played a vital role in the reconstruction of West German science after 
the war. 
Source: www.famousscientists.org
Later Life and Death
• In his later years, Werner Heisenberg assumed various influential positions in 
Germany and abroad, giving important lectures on theoretical physics and 
other subjects. 
• He died of cancer of the kidneys and gall bladder on February 1, 1976. 
Heisenberg was 74 years old.
Source: www.famousscientists.org