EvelynHernandez

11/3/14

WernerHeisenberg

WernerHeisenbergwasbornonthe5thofDecember1901anddiedonFebruary1st,
1976.HewasborninthesouthernGermanstateofBavaria.Hisparents,Dr.August
HeisenbergandAnnieHeisenberg.Hisfather,aprofessorformiddleandmoderngreeklanguage
attheUniversityofMunich.DuringthetimeWernerwasborn,Germanywasinthelatedecades
ofmonarchywhichquicklyendedduringworldwar.

WhenHeisenbergwenttotheMaximilianGymnasiumheimpressedhisteachersright
away.Hehaddriveandambitionbuthewasalsointelligent.Inthosedaysonlyboyscould
attendagymnasiumandonlymaleteacherstaughtheretoo.Hedidbestinmathematics,physics
andreligion.Hebecameinterestedinmathandphysicswhenthetechnologyadvancedduring
histime:cars,airplanes,telephonesandradio.Andtheencouragementfromhismathand
scienceteacher.WernerstudiedEinsteinstheoryonhisown.Healsotaughthimselfcalculusand
calculuswasnottaughtatthegymnasium.Hetutoredacollegestudentforherexams.

HeisenbergwenttoMaximilianschoolinMunichuntil1920.Afterhewenttothe
UniversityofMunichandstudiedphysics.Hehadplannedonstudyingonlymathematics.His
professor,sawhistalentsandsenthimtoanadvancedseminar.1924to1925heworkedat
rockefellergrantwithNielsBohr.In1926helecturedtheoreticalphysicsattheUniversityof
Copenhagen.Andwhenhewasonly26in1927hebecameaprofessoratUniversityofLeipzig.
Heisenberglecturedaroundtheunitedstates,japanandindia.

LateronbecameprofessorfortheUniversityofBerlinandthendirectoroftheKaiser
Wilhelminstitute.Afterworldwar2hadendedhestayedinEngland(wherehewassent)togive
morelectures.HegotinvitedtomoreplacessuchasUnitedStatesandScotland.Inwhichhis
lecturesquicklybecameapublishedbook.LateroninHeisenberg'slifetimehecameupwiththe
heisenberguncertaintyprinciple.Whichisthedeterminationofthepositionandmomentum
ofamobileparticlethatnecessarilycontainserrorsoftheproductwhichcannotbeanylessthan
thequantumconstanthandthatalthoughtheseerrorsarenegligibleonthehumanscale,they
cannotbeignoredinthestudiesoftheatom.

1957andsoonWernerbecameinterestedintheplasmaphysicsandthermonuclear
process.In1953hebecamethepresidentofAlexanderVonHumboldtfoundationinwhichhe
invitedscientistsfromothercountriestoGermanyandhelpedthemworkthere.Heisenbergwill
alwaysbeknownforhistheoryofquantummechanics,publishedin1925.Histheoryand
applicationsresultedinthediscoveryofallotropicformsofhydrogen.WernerwasgivenNobel
Prizeforphysicsin1932.Histheorywasbasedononlywhatheobserved,theradiationadmitted
totheatom.HesaidWecannotalwaysassigntoanelectronapositioninspaceatagiventime.
Norfollowinitsorbit.

WernerHeisenbergwonmanyprizesandmedalsforhiswork.Hewasadirector,
president,professor,doctorate,andmuchmore.Hewasveryinvolvedwithdifferentinstitutes,
universitiesandacademies.Oneofhishobbieswasmusic.Heusedtoloveplayingthepiano.In
1937HeisenbergmarriedElisabethSchumacher.TheyhadsevenchildrenandlivedinMunich.