Moses Blackman facts for kids

Moses Blackman was a smart scientist born in South Africa. He became a British citizen. He was known for studying crystals. This is the science of how atoms are arranged in solid materials. He lived from 1908 to 1983. He was also a FRS, which is a big honor for scientists.

Early Life and Education

Moses Blackman, also known as Morris, was born in Cape Town, South Africa. His birthday was December 6, 1908. His parents were Esther and Rabbi Joseph Blackman.

He went to school in Upington first. Then, his family moved to Grahamstown in 1921. He attended Victoria Boys High School there.

In 1925, Moses finished high school. He won the only scholarship to Rhodes University nearby. At university, he focused on physics, mathematics, and German. He earned top grades in all three subjects.

He continued his studies and got a Master of Science (MSc) degree in physics. He again received top honors. After that, he worked for a year to save money.

Advanced Studies in Europe

In March 1931, Moses moved to Germany. He went to the University of Göttingen. There, he became a research student under Max Born. Born was a very famous physicist.

By March 1933, Moses had finished his research. His work was about the Raman spectrum of rock salt. He earned his DPhil degree. Werner Heisenberg, another famous physicist, was one of his examiners. This was around the time Hitler was gaining power in Germany.

Return to England and Imperial College

Moses Blackman came back to England in 1933. He won a special fellowship to Imperial College London. He joined the Mathematics Department. There, he worked with Sydney Chapman.

He spent two years studying lattice theory. This is about how atoms are arranged in crystals. For this work, he earned his second doctorate, a PhD.

Later, he received a research award. This allowed him to do more research in Cambridge. He earned a third PhD there. This time, his work was on the Born-von Karman crystal lattice.

Soon after, George Paget Thomson invited him back to Imperial College. In 1937, Moses joined the Physics Department. He became an assistant lecturer. People quickly saw him as the top theoretical physicist in the department.

Wartime Contributions

In the late 1930s, George Thomson was researching how to create a chain reaction. This involved splitting uranium atoms with neutrons. Moses Blackman was part of this important work.

He helped by doing calculations about how neutrons spread. Because of his contributions, he was asked to join the British Committee on Atomic Energy. He served on this committee in 1940 and 1941.

From 1942 to 1945, he did scientific work for the Ministry of Home Security. He mainly studied the properties of foams. These foams were used for fighting fires. Some of his research was published after the war ended.

Post-War Research and Honors

After the war, Moses Blackman focused on electron diffraction. This is a way to study materials using electrons. Under his leadership, the electron diffraction group at Imperial College grew. Many students completed their doctorates there.

In 1959, he became a professor of electron physics at Imperial College. In 1962, he received a great honor. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very prestigious group for scientists.

He retired in 1976. However, he was appointed a Senior Research Fellow. This gave him the freedom to explore new interests. He became interested in the magnetism of lodestone. His last published works were on this topic.

During his career, Moses Blackman was also a member of important committees. He was on the International Commission on Electron Diffraction from 1957 to 1966. He also served on the Safety in Mines Research Advisory Board from 1963 to 1974.

Family Life

Moses Blackman married Anne Olivia Warburton in 1959. She was a former stenographer from Sydney. Their marriage ended a few years later.

Moses Blackman passed away on June 3, 1983. He was living in Putney at the time.