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Eugene Wigner

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Eugene Wigner

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Also known as Eugene Paul Wigner, P.E. Wigner

Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician (1902–1995)

AI overview

Eugene Wigner was a Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to quantum mechanics and nuclear physics during the 20th century. His work helped shape our understanding of the atomic and subatomic world, influencing both theoretical physics and practical applications like nuclear energy.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Works
1

Top works

  • Group Theory

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Active from
1902-11-17
Active to
1995-01-01

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Quotes

  • A possible explanation of the physicist's use of mathematics to formulate his laws of nature is that he is a somewhat irresponsible person. As a result, when he finds a connection between two quantities which resembles a connection well-known from mathematics, he will jump at the conclusion that the connection is that discussed in mathematics simply because he does not know of any other similar connection.
  • The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve.
  • In science, it is not speed that is the most important. It is the dedication, the commitment, the interest and the will to know something and to understand it — these are the things that come first.
  • Where in the Schrödinger equation do you put the joy of being alive?

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Nobel Prize

  • The Nobel Prize in Physics1963

    for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles

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Encyclopedic overview

Eugene Paul Wigner (Hungarian: Wigner Jenő Pál, pronounced [ˈviɡnɛr ˈjɛnøː ˈpaːl]; November 17, 1902 – January 1, 1995) was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist who also contributed to mathematical physics. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 "for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles".

A graduate of the Technical Hochschule Berlin (now Technische Universität Berlin), Wigner worked as an assistant to Karl Weissenberg and Richard Becker at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, and David Hilbert at the University of Göttingen. Wigner and Hermann Weyl were responsible for introducing group theory into physics, particularly the theory of symmetry in physics. Along the way he performed ground-breaking work in pure mathematics, in which he authored a number of mathematical theorems. In particular, Wigner's theorem is a cornerstone in the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics. He is also known for his research into the structure of the atomic nucleus. In 1930, Princeton University recruited Wigner, along with John von Neumann, and he moved to the United States, where he obtained citizenship in 1937.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Eugene Wigner” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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