Paul Niggli (26 June 1888 – 13 January 1953) was a Swiss crystallographer who was a leader in the field of X-ray crystallography.
Niggli was born in Zofingen and studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and the University of Zurich, where he obtained a doctorate. His 1919 book, Geometrische Kristallographie des Diskontinuums, played a seminal role in the refinement of space group theory. In this book, Niggli demonstrated that although X-ray reflection conditions do not always uniquely determine the space group to which a crystal belongs, they do reveal a small number of possible space groups to which it could belong. Niggli used morphological methods to account for internal structure and, in his 1928 Kristallographische und Strukturtheoretische Grundbegriffe, he took up what is essentially the reverse process, the task of establishing the connection between space lattices and external crystal morphology. The great aim of his life was to integrate the whole field of Earth sciences.In 1920, Niggli became the lead scientist at the ETH's Institut für Mineralogie und Petrographie, where he brought his systematic approach to the study of crystal morphologies using X-ray diffraction. In 1935, Niggli and his doctoral student Werner Nowacki (1909–1988) determined the 73 three-dimensional arithmetic crystal classes (symmorphic space groups). Niggli retired from the Institute in 1949. He was also professor of mineralogy at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule and at the University of Zurich.
Niggli succeeded Paul Heinrich von Groth (1843–1927) as editor of Zeitschrift für Kristallographie.
In 1948, Niggli was awarded the Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America.
Since 1988 the Paul Niggli Foundation awards medals to outstanding Swiss mineral scientists below the age of 35 with a strong perspective for an academic career.
Dorsum Niggli on the Moon was named after him.
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Some of their strengths
Paul Niggli has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Altruistic, Energetic, Intuitive, Creative, Compassionate, Caring, and Intellectual.
Intuitive and Imaginative
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Paul Niggli is someone who is a highly intuitive, creative and imaginative person who is very loyal, caring and compassionate to others. A person who is known for being diligent and strong.
Active and Precise
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Paul Niggli well know them as someone who can be tough, active, and sharp, like a sword.
Altruistic and Innovative
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Paul Niggli as someone who is altruistic, inventive, energetic, and socially-conscious.
Who is inventive, open-minded and inquisitive, optimistic and cooperative, and who loves working together with others.
Altruistic and Ambitious
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Paul Niggli is someone who is the type of person who rallies behind a group, cause, or community, and who enjoys being dedicated to a higher cause of some sort.
They are also someone who is creative, expressive, and insightful, and who has a pioneering spirit with self-determination and natural artistic expression.
Traditional and Patient
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Paul Niggli tends to be someone who is a patient person that is very emotional, has a very sharp memory, has an ability to understand people, and who tends to be traditional and frugal.
Some of Paul Niggli's challenges
While Paul Niggli has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Paul Niggli can be Emotional, Standoffish, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, Anxious, Inflexible, and Irritable.
Emotional and Standoffish
One of Paul Niggli's key challenges is that they are someone who can be emotional and standoffish.
Anxious and Inflexible
Paul Niggli is someone who can be high-strung, impatient, and inflexible, who can be "penny wise and pound foolish", have poor listening skills, and who can be intolerant of people who share a different world view.
Sensitive and Money-oriented
Finally, Paul Niggli also can have mood swings, be overly sensititive, and be a bit rigid and materialistic.
