Boris Podolsky facts for kids

Boris Yakovlevich Podolsky (June 29, 1896 – November 28, 1966) was an important Russian-American physicist. He is best known for his work with famous scientists like Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen. Together, they explored complex ideas about how tiny particles behave, especially something called the EPR paradox.

Early Life and Education

Boris Podolsky was born in 1896 in a city called Taganrog in the Russian Empire. His family was not wealthy. In 1913, when he was 17, he moved to the United States.

He studied at the University of Southern California, earning a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1918. After serving in the US Army, he worked for the Los Angeles Bureau of Power and Light. He continued his studies, getting a Master's degree in Mathematics in 1926. In 1928, he earned his PhD in Theoretical Physics from Caltech. His teacher there was Paul Sophus Epstein.

His Career as a Scientist

After finishing his studies, Podolsky spent time at different universities. He worked at the University of California, Berkeley and then at Leipzig University in Germany. In 1930, he returned to Caltech.

Later, he moved to the Ukrainian Institute of Physics and Technology in Kharkiv, USSR. There, he worked with other brilliant physicists like Vladimir Fock and Paul Dirac. In 1932, he published an important paper on a topic called Quantum Electrodynamics with Dirac and Fock.

In 1933, Podolsky came back to the US with a special fellowship. He joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. This is where he worked with Albert Einstein. Einstein thought very highly of Podolsky's skills. In 1935, Einstein wrote that Podolsky was "one of the most brilliant of the younger men" and "an independent investigator of unquestionable talent."

In 1935, Podolsky became a professor at the University of Cincinnati. He taught mathematical physics there. He also guided students who were working on their Master's and PhD degrees. In 1961, he moved to Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he continued his work until he passed away in 1966.

Important Scientific Work

One of Boris Podolsky's most famous contributions was working with Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen on the EPR paradox. This idea helped scientists think deeply about quantum mechanics, which is the study of how tiny particles behave. Their work led to new ideas like Bell's theorem and the start of quantum information theory.

Podolsky also had an idea with Lev Landau in 1933 to write a textbook about electromagnetism. This book would explain how electricity and magnetism work using special relativity. Even though Podolsky returned to the US and couldn't finish the project with Landau, their ideas became the basis for a famous book called The Classical Theory of Fields. Podolsky later wrote his own book, Fundamentals of Electrodynamics, which was published after his death.

See also

In Spanish: Borís Podolski para niños