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Otto Stern

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Scientist

The Resume

    (February 17, 1888-August 17, 1969)
    Born in Sohrau, Germany (now Zory, Poland)
    Physicist
    Pioneer in using molecular beams in research
    Developed the Stern-Gerlach experiment to demonstrate the quantum nature of angular momentum at the molecular level (1921)
    Determined the magnetic moment of the proton, which was 2.5 times the value predicted by theory (1935)
    Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (1943)

Why he might be annoying:

    After Niels Bohr presented the quantum model of the atom, he and colleague (and fellow future Nobel laureate) Max von Laue vowed, 'If this nonsense of Bohr's should prove right in the end, we will quit physics.'
    He spotted the silver deposits produced in an early run of the Stern-Gerlach experiment when the sulfur in the smoke from his cheap cigar reacted with the silver to produce jet black silver sulfide.
    The Nobel Committee for Physics initially concluded none of the 1943 nominees met the requirements for the Prize, but delayed its final decision until the next year. As a result, Stern won the 1943 Prize in 1944.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was the first post-doctoral student of Albert Einstein, and the two collaborated on a paper on the zero-point energy of a harmonic oscillator (1913).
    He came up with the idea for the Stern-Gerlach experiment while lying in bed, having gotten up early but decided it was too cold to get out from under the covers.
    His measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton was the first physical evidence that the proton was not a fundamental particle but had an internal structure.
    He had to flee Germany after the Nazis took power.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying