Pascual Jordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pascual Jordan
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Pascual Jordan in the 1920s
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| Born | 18 October 1902 |
| Died | 31 July 1980 (aged 77) |
| Nationality | Germany |
| Known for | Quantum mechanics Quantum field theory Matrix mechanics Skew lattice Jordan algebra Jordan–Brans–Dicke theory Jordan and Einstein frames Jordan map Jordan–Wigner transformation |
| Awards | Max Planck Medal (1942), Carl Friedrich Gauß Medal (1955) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics |
| Institutions | Technical University of Hannover University of Göttingen |
| Doctoral advisor | Max Born |
| Doctoral students | Jürgen Ehlers, Engelbert Schücking |
Ernst Pascual Jordan (born October 18, 1902 – died July 31, 1980) was an important German scientist. He was a physicist and mathematician. He made big contributions to how we understand quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. These are areas of physics that study the behavior of very tiny particles.
Jordan helped develop the math behind matrix mechanics. He also created special rules for fermions, which are a type of particle. The Jordan algebra is a special kind of math named after him. It is still used today to understand quantum theory and has many other uses in mathematics.
Jordan joined the Nazi Party in 1933. However, he did not agree with the "Deutsche Physik" movement. This group rejected quantum physics developed by scientists like Albert Einstein. After World War II, Jordan became a politician. He served as a Member of Parliament for a conservative party called the CDU.
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Early Life and Education
Pascual Jordan's parents were Ernst Pasqual Jordan and Eva Fischer. His father, Ernst Jordan, was a painter. He was known for his portraits and landscapes. At the time Pascual was born, his father was an art professor at Hannover Technical University.
The family name was originally "Jorda" and came from Spain. The first-born sons in the family were always named Pasqual or Pascual. After a big battle in 1815, the family settled in Hannover, Germany. At some point, their name changed from Jorda to Jordan.
When Jordan was 12, he tried to understand how the Bible and Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution could both be true. His religion teacher helped him see that science and religion did not have to disagree. Jordan wrote many articles about this topic throughout his life.
In 1921, Jordan started studying at the Technical University of Hannover. He studied zoology, mathematics, and physics. Like many German students then, he moved to another university before finishing his degree. In 1923, he went to the University of Göttingen. This university was a leading center for math and physics. There, he worked with famous scientists like David Hilbert and Max Born. Jordan later became an assistant to mathematician Richard Courant. He then studied under physicist Max Born for his advanced degree.
Important Scientific Discoveries
Pascual Jordan worked with other famous scientists like Max Born and Werner Heisenberg. Together, they wrote important papers about quantum mechanics. This field of physics helps us understand how very small particles behave.
Jordan was also a pioneer in early quantum field theory. This theory combines quantum mechanics with special relativity. Before World War II, he mostly focused on cosmology, which is the study of the universe.
Jordan Algebras
Jordan created a special type of math called Jordan algebra. He hoped this math could describe things we can observe in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. Today, other mathematical tools are also used for this purpose.
Jordan algebras have found many uses in different areas of math. These include geometry, number theory, and optimization. They are still used to study the deep ideas behind quantum theory.
Expanding Earth Theory
In 1966, Jordan wrote a book about his idea that the Earth might be expanding. He based this on a theory by Paul Dirac. Dirac suggested that gravity might be getting weaker over time.
Jordan thought that if gravity was weakening, the Earth could have grown to its current size. He believed it might have started as a ball only about 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) wide. This idea could explain why the lower part of the Earth's crust is a similar thickness everywhere. It could also explain why the upper part of the crust broke into continental plates. As the Earth grew, the continents would have had to adapt, forming mountain ranges. However, other scientists, both physicists and geologists, did not widely accept Jordan's expanding Earth theory.
Political Involvement
Germany's loss in the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles greatly affected Jordan's political views. He became very nationalistic and right-wing. In the late 1920s, he wrote many articles supporting aggressive and warlike ideas. He was strongly against communism and worried about the rise of the Bolsheviks in Russia.
In 1933, Jordan joined the Nazi Party. He also joined an SA unit, which was a Nazi group. He supported their nationalism and anti-communism. However, he also defended Albert Einstein and other Jewish scientists. Jordan hoped he could influence the new government. He tried to convince the Nazis that modern physics, including Einstein's ideas and quantum theory, could be an answer to "Bolshevik materialism."
Even though the Nazis liked his support, they saw him as "politically unreliable." This was because he continued to support Jewish scientists and their theories.
In 1939, Jordan joined the Luftwaffe, which was the German air force. He worked as a weather analyst at the Peenemünde rocket center for a while. During the war, he tried to interest the Nazi party in ideas for advanced weapons. His suggestions were ignored. This was likely because he was seen as "politically unreliable" due to his past connections with Jewish scientists like Courant, Born, and Wolfgang Pauli.
Some people believe that if Jordan had not joined the Nazi party, he might have won a Nobel Prize in Physics. His work with Max Born was very important. Born later won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Walther Bothe.
After the war, Wolfgang Pauli helped Jordan get his academic job back. Jordan was fully reinstated as a professor in 1953. However, Jordan went against Pauli's advice and re-entered politics. He was elected to the Bundestag, the German parliament, as a member of the Christian Democratic Union.
In 1957, Jordan supported giving tactical nuclear weapons to the German army. This was a controversial decision. Other famous scientists, including Born and Heisenberg, protested this idea. This further strained Jordan's relationships with his former friends and colleagues.
Selected Works
See also
In Spanish: Pascual Jordan para niños
