Who is the father of modern physics and astronomy?

Answer 1

Many people might answer that Albert Einstein was the "father" of modern physics since his work on the photoelectric effect provided the support needed for the start of early quantum theory, but Einstein was opposed to many ideas necessary to use quantum physics and really was the last of the "classical" physicists. You could argue that Max Plank was the "father" since he identified the first quantum concept in solving the blackbody problem, and he went on to do much early work in the development of quantum physics. It might be better to say that the idea of a single individual founding modern physics is incorrect. If nothing else, modern physics is a collaborative effort which has relied heavily on the interaction between theorists, experiments, and large groups of scientists working together on a problem (culminating in massive experiments such as CERN and the large hadron collider).

Answer 2

Answer 1:

Galileo Galilei

Answer 2:

Roger Bacon. He was a 13th century philosopher and monk and one of the first to advocate the modern scientific method. I understand that this answer puts me at odds with Wikipedia, who surprisingly (to me, anyway) did choose Galileo.

I respect Galileo, but he stood on Bacon's shoulders. Granted, obviously Bacon stood on still earlier shoulders, but he was the first advocate of modern science in the 2nd millenium, several centuries before Galileo.

Answer 3:

Sir Isaac newton.Because he is best known for his explanation of gravity. He also make the 3 laws of motion; 1st law of inertia, 2nd law of mass and acceleration and the 3rd once is law of interaction.

Answer 3

Niels Bohr would be considered the "father of particle physics" in my opinion. Famous for "On the Constitutions of Atoms & Molecules," Bohr built upon work done by New Zealander Ernest Rutherford on atoms (discovering that atoms had space and a neucleus), by adding that electrons occupy only well-defined orbits, which explained why they didn't go spiraling into the nucleus, and also explained why electrons only appeared in certain orbits (because they only existed in certain orbits!), while it also explained hydrogens' perplexing wavelengths. This pretty cool insight got Bohr the Nobel Prize (in Physics) in 1922, a year after Einstein got his. Jeannie Heroux

Answer 4

The ancient Greek philosopher Thales (6th century BC), is the father of theoretical physics. Although first person to use a tool, or work out and show an example of how something works, could be considered as the founder of practical physics (and not the father of theoretical physics). For example, evidence of wheeled vehicles appear as far back as the 6th Millennium BC in Northern Caucasus and Central Europe and so the question of which culture originally invented the wheeled vehicle remains unresolved and under debate. The earliest well-dated depiction of a wheeled vehicle (here a wagon---four wheels, two axles), is on the Bronocice pot, a ca. 3500--3350 BCE clay pot excavated in a Funnel beaker culture settlement in southern Poland. Therefore, this proves that there were people with extensive understanding of practical physics far before it was theorised upon.

The father of modern day physics is a much debated question and could go on for a very long time to come and is very dependant on who you are biased towards. Technically we could say that our Neanderthal ancestors, who first used tools are the real fathers of physics. They would never have continued to use the tools they formed for the many jobs if they didn't have an understanding of the results.. IE...an experiment leading to proof of result is a form of basic practical science.

Answer 5

1. Modern - You could argue that Max Plank was the "father" since he identified the first quantum concept in solving the blackbody problem, and he went on to do much early work in the development of quantum physics. It might be better to say that the idea of a single individual founding modern physics is incorrect. If nothing else, modern physics is a collaborative effort which has relied heavily on the interaction between theorists, experiments, and large groups of scientists working together on a problem (culminating in massive experiments such as CERN and the large hadron collider).
2. Classical - It is indisputable the Isaac Newton is the father of classical physics.

Answer 6

Really, quantum physics has been developed gradually, and by a large number of people. I don't think a single person can be credited of having "invented" or "discovered" it.

Answer 7

Albert Einstein