Public Figure Profiles

Max Born

Max Born (11 December 1882 – 5 January 1970) was a German physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 1930s. Born won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics for his "fundamental research in quantum mechanics, especially in the statistical interpretation of the wave function".Born entered the University of Göttingen in 1904, where he met the three renowned mathematicians Felix Klein, David Hilbert, and Hermann Minkowski. He wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the subject of "Stability of Elastica in a Plane and Space", winning the university's Philosophy Faculty Prize. In 1905, he began researching special relativity with Minkowski, and subsequently wrote his habilitation thesis on the Thomson model of the atom. A chance meeting with Fritz Haber in Berlin in 1918 led to discussion of how an ionic compound is formed when a metal reacts with a halogen, which is today known as the Born–Haber cycle.

In World War I, after originally being placed as a radio operator, he was moved to research duties regarding sound ranging due to his specialist knowledge. In 1921, Born returned to Göttingen, arranging another chair for his long-time friend and colleague James Franck. Under Born, Göttingen became one of the world's foremost centres for physics. In 1925, Born and Werner Heisenberg formulated the matrix mechanics representation of quantum mechanics. The following year, he formulated the now-standard interpretation of the probability density function for ψ*ψ in the Schrödinger equation, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1954. His influence extended far beyond his own research. Max Delbrück, Siegfried Flügge, Friedrich Hund, Pascual Jordan, Maria Goeppert-Mayer, Lothar Wolfgang Nordheim, Robert Oppenheimer, and Victor Weisskopf all received their Ph.D. degrees under Born at Göttingen, and his assistants included Enrico Fermi, Werner Heisenberg, Gerhard Herzberg, Friedrich Hund, Pascual Jordan, Wolfgang Pauli, Léon Rosenfeld, Edward Teller, and Eugene Wigner.

In January 1933, the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, and Born, who was Jewish, was suspended from his professorship at the University of Göttingen. He emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he took a job at St John's College, Cambridge, and wrote a popular science book, The Restless Universe, as well as Atomic Physics, which soon became a standard textbook. In October 1936, he became the Tait Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, where, working with German-born assistants E. Walter Kellermann and Klaus Fuchs, he continued his research into physics. Born became a naturalised British subject on 31 August 1939, one day before World War II broke out in Europe. He remained in Edinburgh until 1952. He retired to Bad Pyrmont, in West Germany, and died in hospital in Göttingen on 5 January 1970.

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Some of their strengths

Max Born has many admirable traits.

Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intelligent, Adventurous, Energetic, Creative, Generous, Practical, and Kind.

Adventurous and Independent

According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Max Born is someone who is an adventurous, independent, and energetic person, who is insightful, imaginative, generous, and honest. A person who is known for being a good communicator.

Strong and Resilient

Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Max Born well know them as someone who can be strong, expansive, and stable like a big tree.

Courteous and Easygoing

According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Max Born as someone who is polite, modest, and diplomatic.

A person who tends to be socially popular, who loves intellectual or creative activities, who has a talent for communicating with and understanding the needs of others, and who seems to have a knack for getting recognized for their efforts.

Easygoing and Energetic

Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Max Born is someone who has an easygoing nature and a healthy sense of humor, with a mind that requires constant stimulation in order to feel fulfilled.

They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.

Optimistic and Quick-witted

According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Max Born tends to be someone who is optimistic and spontaneous, and who has a clear and analytical mind. Who can be witty, with a happy-go-lucky- nature that makes others cheerful, and who possesses an adventurous zest for life.

Some of Max Born's challenges

While Max Born has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.

For example, Max Born can be Impulsive, Careless, Hesitant, Narcissistic, Indecisive, Materialistic, and Temperamental.

Impulsive and Careless

One of Max Born's key challenges is that they are someone who can be impulsive and careless.

Max Born must also exercise caution as they can be short-tempered and aggressive, and can be excessive and unrealistic.

Indecisive and Materialistic

Max Born is someone who can be indecisive, indulgent, and materialistic, who can have difficulty focusing on a single career or profession, have difficulty following orders or respecting authority, and who can suffer from "analysis paralysis".

Irritable and Callous

Finally, Max Born also can be short-tempered, childish, insensitive, and careless at times.

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