William Lawrence Bragg (March 31st, 1890 - July 1st, 1971) is a Physicien which received the Nobel Prize of physics in 1915 for its work on the diffraction of x-rays.

Biography

Bragg was born with Adélaïde in Australia. He quickly showed a great interest for science. His/her father, William Henry Bragg, was mathematics professor and of physics to the Université of Adelaide. At 5 years, William Lawrence fell off tricycle and broke the arm. His/her father, who had taken note of the experiments of Röntgen in Europe, then used the X-rays recently discovered to examine the broken arm. It was the first proven surgical use of x-rays in Australia.

Bragg was a student good. In 1904, at the 15 years age, it entered to the university of Adelaide to study mathematics, chemistry and physics. In 1908, his/her father accepted a work with the Université of Leeds and all the family turned over to England. It entered to Trinity College to Cambridge to the autumn 1909. After promising beginnings in mathematics, it turned to the courses of physics the following years.

William Lawrence is more known for her law on the diffraction of x-rays by the crystals. The Loi of Bragg makes it possible to calculate the position of the atoms in a crystal by using the way in which this crystal lattice diffracts x-rays. It made this discovery in 1912, lasting its first year as enquiring student in Cambridge. He discussed his ideas with his father, who then developed the Spectromètre with x-rays in Leeds. This tool made it possible to analyze many types of crystals. Collaboration between the father and the son quickly resulted in making believe that the father was at the origin of these developments, which dissatisfied the son.

The research task of William Lawrence was stopped by the First World War and by the Second world war. During these two wars, he worked on methods of localization of enemy rifles by the sound. With the autumn 1915, his/her Robert brother was killed. About at the same time, he learned that he was more the young graduate to receive the Nobel Prize of physics (he was 25 years old).

Between the two wars, of 1919 with 1937, it worked with the Université Victoria of Manchester as professor of physics. It Maria in 1921 with Alice Hopkinson. He was anobli in 1941. After the Second world war, it is gone back to Cambridge, then deciding dispersion of the Laboratoire Cavendish in smaller groups of research. In 1948, William Lawrence was interested in the structure of the Protéine S. Although he did not play of role in the discovery of DNA in 1953, James Watson recognizes that the method of x-rays developed forty years earlier by Bragg had allowed this discovery.

In April 1953, William Lawrence accepted the post of professor resident with the Royal Institution of London. He proposed that Royal the Institution approaches the public, and suggested the installation of conferences to show experiments with the children. The idea was accepted with enthusiasm and: 20000 children attended these conferences in 1965. He worked at Royal the Institution until his retirement in 1966.

William Lawrence Bragg liked painting, the literature and the gardening. In addition to the Nobel Prize, it received the Médaille Copley, the Médaille Hughes and the Royal Médaille of the Royal Society. He died on July 1st 1971 in a hospital close to his residence with Waldringford.

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