biography of paul a. m. dirac by: cole jorgensen
TRANSCRIPT
Biography of Paul A. M. Dirac
By: Cole Jorgensen
Basics
• Full name: Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac • Born on 8th August, 1902, in Bristol,
England• Father was a Swiss immigrant• Mother was native of Cornwall England
Personal Life
• Had a miner form of autism• Had an abusive father• Said he never knew love as a child• Had 1 brother and 1 sister
Personal Life Continued
• Married Margit Wigner• Adopted her 2 children• Also had 2 more children with her
Autism• Helped him achieve his
goals• Made him self-centered
but determined• Gave him ability to solve
complicated problems systematically
• Was especially good at mathematical problems
Education
• Attended Bristol, St. John’s, and Cambridge, universities
• Obtained a degree in electrical engineering
• In 1926 graduated with a P.H.D. in mathematics
Profession• Mathematics
professor at Cambridge University
• Physics and mathematics philosopher
• Published several papers/books on physics and mathematics
Legacy• Founder of quantum
mechanics and quantum electrodynamics
• Developed theory of the electron and proton
• Developed several mathematical theories
• Published several books
Wave theory
• Paul’s largest contribution to physics• Helped tie relativity theory and quantum
theory• Proved the two theories are connected but
opposing
Honors and Awards
• Nobel Prize in physics• Awarded the Royal, Copley, and Max
Planck medals• Had several annual awards named after
him
Death and After
• In 1984, Dirac died in Tallahassee, Florida• A street in his hometown named after him• Several memorials around the world built
in remembrance
Bibliography
• "Paul A.M. Dirac - Biography." Nobelprize.org. The Nobel Foundation. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1933/dirac-bio.html>.
• "Paul Dirac -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dirac#Early_years>.