Physicists from Germany

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Germans Physicists of all time. This list of famous Germans Physicists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Germans Physicists.

1. #1

   

   Albert Einstein

   1879 - 1955

   HPI 94.83228 langs

   Albert Einstein is most famous for his theory of relativity. He developed the theory in 1905 and it is now one of the most important...Read moreShow less

   Albert Einstein is most famous for his theory of relativity. He developed the theory in 1905 and it is now one of the most important theories in modern physics. The theory states that time and space are not absolute and that they are relative to the observer. It also states that the speed of light is constant.

2. #2

   

   Wilhelm Röntgen

   1845 - 1923

   HPI 87.15139 langs

   Wilhelm Röntgen was a German physicist who is most famous for discovering X-rays.

3. #3

   

   Max Planck

   1858 - 1947

   HPI 85.41147 langs

   Max Planck is most famous for his work in quantum physics. He was able to show that light is not a continuous wave, but instead comes in...Read moreShow less

   Max Planck is most famous for his work in quantum physics. He was able to show that light is not a continuous wave, but instead comes in packets of energy called quanta.

4. #4

   

   Werner Heisenberg

   1901 - 1976

   HPI 83.50113 langs

   Werner Heisenberg is most famous for his uncertainty principle. This principle states that it is impossible to measure both the position and...Read moreShow less

   Werner Heisenberg is most famous for his uncertainty principle. This principle states that it is impossible to measure both the position and momentum of a particle at the same time.

5. #5

   

   Georg Ohm

   1789 - 1854

   HPI 83.0896 langs

   Georg Ohm is most famous for his law of electromagnetism, which states that the voltage across a conductor is proportional to the current...Read moreShow less

   Georg Ohm is most famous for his law of electromagnetism, which states that the voltage across a conductor is proportional to the current flowing through it.

6. #6

   

   Heinrich Hertz

   1857 - 1894

   HPI 82.34101 langs

   Heinrich Hertz is most famous for proving the existence of electromagnetic waves. He was able to do this by creating a device that could...Read moreShow less

   Heinrich Hertz is most famous for proving the existence of electromagnetic waves. He was able to do this by creating a device that could produce and detect electromagnetic waves.

7. #7

   

   Max Born

   1882 - 1970

   HPI 78.0499 langs

   Max Born was a German-born physicist who made contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He is most famous for his work...Read moreShow less

   Max Born was a German-born physicist who made contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He is most famous for his work in the field of quantum mechanics.

8. #8

   

   Max von Laue

   1879 - 1960

   HPI 77.5486 langs

   Max von Laue was a German physicist who was most famous for his discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals in 1912.

9. #9

   

   Hermann von Helmholtz

   1821 - 1894

   HPI 77.3272 langs

   Hermann von Helmholtz is most famous for being the first person to measure the speed of nerve impulses.

10. #10

    

    Johannes Stark

    1874 - 1957

    HPI 76.7783 langs

    Johannes Stark was a German physicist who is most famous for his discovery of the "Stark effect." The Stark effect is a phenomenon in which...Read moreShow less

    Johannes Stark was a German physicist who is most famous for his discovery of the "Stark effect." The Stark effect is a phenomenon in which the intensity of light is dependent on the presence of an electric field.