Karl Braun is a German physicist who lived in the second half of the 19th - the first decades of the 20th century and became famous thanks to the invention of the cathode ray tube - kinescope. In some countries, this device is still named after the scientist. Karl Braun specialized in the practical use of electromagnetic waves. In 1909, the scientist was awarded the title of Nobel laureate in physics.
The inventor died on April 20, 1918 in New York.
Early years
Karl Ferdinand Braun was born on June 6, 1850 in a small German town called Fulda. The boy's father, Conrad Brown, was among the minor government employees. There were 5 children in the family, Carl was born last.
From childhood, the boy showed a penchant for scientific work. While studying at a local gymnasium, already at the age of 15 he wrote the first serious work - a book on crystallography. At the same time, all the drawings were made by the young men on their own, and the text was completely displayed.by hand. At the same time, the first article by Karl Brown was published in a scientific journal for teachers.
At the age of 17, the future scientist entered the University of Marburg, where he became more familiar with the three natural sciences (mathematics, chemistry and physics). After two semesters, Brown moved to the University of Berlin, where he began to combine studies with teaching assistantship with Professor Quincke. Already in 1872, at the age of 22, Karl received his doctorate for his work in the field of acoustics.
Professor Quincke soon moved to the University of Würzburg, but Brown, who followed him, could not get a full-time assistant there. Experiencing financial difficulties, Carl decides to become a school teacher and moves to Leipzig.
In 1873, the young scientist successfully passed the state examination for the relevant position, after which he began to work, keeping the hope of a university career.
Working as a teacher
In 1874, Karl Braun got a job at the Leipzig secondary school as a teacher of mathematics and science. Teaching activity took a little time, which made it possible to closely engage in science. During this period, Brown makes the first discovery, which consisted in discovering the effect of one-way conduction at the point of contact of a crystal with a metal or a crystal of another kind. Since this property was contrary to Ohm's laws, the achievement of the young scientist was initially not approved, but later received worthy recognition.
Based on this discovery was latercrystal-rectifying diode created.
Karl Braun himself could not give an explanation for the discovered effect, since the level of fundamental knowledge in physics at that time did not allow it. The discovery received a deep scientific justification only in the 20th century, when quantum mechanics began to actively develop.
Teaching activities at the university
In 1877, Karl Braun was finally able to resume his university career, starting it by returning to Marburg, but already as a professor of theoretical physics. After 3 years, he moves to Strasbourg and settles at the University of Karlsruhe for 7 years.
In 1887, Karl Braun changed his school again, moving to Tübingen. Here, along with professorial activity, the scientist assists in the construction and foundation of the institute for physics, which he later heads. In 1895, Brown again moved to Strasbourg and became director of the local university. In addition to his leadership position, Karl is also considered a professor in the Department of Physics. Strasbourg University becomes the final residence of the scientist.
During his teaching career, Karl Braun was very much appreciated among students for his ability to clearly explain the material and convey the essence of experiments for amateurs. The professor even wrote and published a textbook en titled "Young Mathematician and Naturalist", in which information was presented in a free form in a humorous style.
Brown pipe
The invention of the cathode oscilloscope was the second significant achievement of Karl Brown in physics. This device has become an indispensable tool for researchers involved in electrical and radio engineering.
A modern cathode oscilloscope is a long tube with a vacuum inside, which is equipped with vertically and horizontally mounted deflecting coils. The device allows you to visually observe and control electrical processes.
The essence of the work of the Brown tube is to convert the trace left on the surface of the tube by a beam of electrodes into a graphic form using a rotating mirror, which transferred the line from the fluorescent screen to the external one.
Other achievements
Karl Braun made a huge contribution to the field of radio transmission by designing two advanced devices:
- transmitter with non-sparking antenna circuit - an improved version of the telegraph, in which there were no shortcomings of Macroni's wireless apparatus;
- crystal detector is the most important part of a directional receiver, replacing less functional coherers.
In 1904, Brown made another important contribution to science - experimentally confirmed the electromagnetic nature of light rays.
The scientist became the Nobel laureate in physics along with Macroni for his contribution to the development of wireless telegraphy.
