Ferdinand Braun
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Karl Ferdinand Braun
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1909
Born: 6 June 1850, Fulda, Hesse-Kassel (now Germany)
Died: 20 April 1918, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, Alsace (then Germany, now France)
Prize motivation: "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy."
Prize share: 1/2
Work
In the late 1880s a previously unknown type of radiation was discovered - radio waves. It was found to have the same nature as light, but with a greater wavelength. Various physicists and technicians investigated whether radio waves could be used to transmit signals. Ferdinand Braun contributed to wireless signal transfer technology in several ways. In the late 1890s, he developed the electronics in transmitters to reduce signal weakening and disruptions between different transmitters.
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Nobel Prizes 2018
Their work and discoveries range from cancer therapy and laser physics to developing proteins that can solve humankind’s chemical problems. The work of the 2018 Nobel Laureates also included combating war crimes, as well as integrating innovation and climate with economic growth. Find out more.
