Erwin Schrödinger

1887 – 1961 · died at about 74^[1][2]

Science & Invention

Fun Facts About Erwin Schrödinger

• Erwin Schrödinger devised his famous cat thought experiment to ridicule Bohr and Heisenberg's views on quantum mechanics.^{[1][3][4][5][6]}
• Of the probability interpretation of quantum mechanics, Schrödinger said: "I don't like it, and I'm sorry I ever had anything to do with it."^[1]
• Schrödinger formulated his wave equation while staying at a sanatorium in Arosa, Switzerland, where he was treated for tuberculosis.^[1]
• According to James Watson's memoir, Schrödinger's 1944 book What Is Life? inspired Watson to research the gene, which led to the discovery of DNA's double helix.^[1][7][8]
• Schrödinger's portrait was the main design of Austria's 1000-schilling banknote from 1983 to 1997.^[1]
• Although not Catholic, Schrödinger was buried in a Catholic cemetery in Alpbach after the priest learned he was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.^[1]
• Erwin Schrödinger was alive at the same time as Naruhito — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1960–1961).^{[1][2][9][10]}
• Erwin Schrödinger shares a birthday with François Hollande: both were born on August 12.^{[1][2][11][12]}

Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger, sometimes written as Schroedinger or Schrodinger, was an Austrian–Irish theoretical physicist who developed fundamental results in quantum theory. In particular, he is recognized for devising the Schrödinger equation, an equation that provides a way to calculate the wave function of a system and how it changes dynamically in time. He coined the term "quantum entanglement" in 1935. Schrödinger shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Paul Dirac "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory."^[1]

Contemporaries

Winston Churchill

74 yr overlap

Carl Jung

74 yr overlap

Pablo Picasso

74 yr overlap

Igor Stravinsky

74 yr overlap

Coco Chanel

74 yr overlap

Niels Bohr

74 yr overlap

Georgia O'Keeffe

74 yr overlap

Lise Meitner

74 yr overlap

Helen Keller

74 yr overlap

Eleanor Roosevelt

74 yr overlap

Chiang Kai-shek

74 yr overlap

Albert Schweitzer

74 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Erwin Schrödinger

When was Erwin Schrödinger born?

Erwin Schrödinger was born on August 12, 1887, and died on January 4, 1961.

How old was Erwin Schrödinger at death?

Erwin Schrödinger was born on August 12, 1887, and died on January 4, 1961, at age 73.

What was Erwin Schrödinger known for?

Erwin Schrödinger was known for: Schrödinger's cat, wave equation. Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger, sometimes written as Schroedinger or Schrodinger, was an Austrian–Irish theoretical physicist who developed fundamental results in quantum theory. In particular, he is recognized for devising the Schrödinger equation, an equation that provides a way to calculate the wave function of a system and how it changes dynamically in time. He coined the term "quantum entanglement" in 1935. Schrödinger shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Paul Dirac "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory."

Who was alive at the same time as Erwin Schrödinger?

Erwin Schrödinger's closest contemporary was Winston Churchill. Their lives overlapped for 74 years.