Mathematician, Engineer, Quantum Physicist
"God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world."
-Paul Dirac
Born August 8, 1902 in Bristol, United Kingdom, Dirac
first studied electrical engineering and received his
B.S. in 1921. However, he went on to obtain for his
Ph.D. in mathematics, and eventually became Lucasian
Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge in 1932.
Dirac's work mainly focused on theoretical physics and
mathematics. His most important contribution to physics
was his renown wave equation. With his work he helped
bridge both quantum and relativity theories. In 1933 he
shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrodinger
for the discovery of new forms of atomic theory.
Paul Dirac accomplished many things in his life. Below
are just a few of the advances he made in physics and
mathematics.
The Dirac Equation is what Dirac is most famous
for. The equation describes the movement of fermions
such as electrons and quarks. It also introduces
special relativity to the Schrodinger Equation.
Dirac showed that if a magnetic monopole existed
anywhere in the universe then all charge must be
quantized.
In his research published in 1931, Dirac theorized
that his equations only made sense if there were
electrons with positive charge. He called this
theoretical particle an "anti-electron," which are
now commonly known as positrons.