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Takahiko Yamanouchi facts for kids

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Takahiko Yamanouchi
Born (1902-07-02)July 2, 1902
Kanagawa
Died October 14, 1986(1986-10-14) (aged 84)
Nationality Japanese
Alma mater Imperial University of Tokyo
Known for Group theory in quantum mechanics
Awards Japan Academy Prize
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
Scientific career
Fields Physics
Institutions Imperial University of Tokyo
Tokyo Higher School
University of Tokyo
Doctoral advisor Kwan-ichi Terazawa
Doctoral students Hironari Miyazawa
Other notable students Masatoshi Koshiba

Takahiko Yamanouchi (山内 恭彦, Yamanouchi Takahiko, July 2, 1902 – October 14, 1986) was a brilliant Japanese scientist. He was a theoretical physicist, which means he studied the rules of nature using math and ideas. He is famous for his work on something called group theory in quantum mechanics. He was the first to suggest using these ideas in Japan.

Who Was Takahiko Yamanouchi?

Takahiko Yamanouchi was born in Kanagawa, Japan, on July 2, 1902. He loved to learn about how the world works. He went to the Imperial University of Tokyo and finished his physics degree in 1926.

His Journey as a Scientist

After college, Yamanouchi started working as a researcher at the Imperial University of Tokyo. This was in 1926 and 1927. Then, from 1927 to 1931, he taught as a professor at the Tokyo Higher School.

He returned to the Imperial University of Tokyo in 1929 as a lecturer. A lecturer is like a teacher at a university. He worked hard and became a full professor in 1942. This meant he was a top teacher and researcher.

Teaching at the University of Tokyo

From 1949 until he retired in 1963, Yamanouchi was a physics professor at the University of Tokyo. During some of these years, from 1959 to 1961, he was even the dean of the science department. Being a dean is a very important leadership role.

What Was His Big Achievement?

In 1956, Takahiko Yamanouchi received a special award called the Japan Academy Prize. He won this award for his important work on "application of group theory to the theory of atomic spectra."

This sounds complicated, but it means he used a special kind of math called group theory to understand how light comes from atoms. This helped scientists learn more about the tiny particles that make up everything around us.

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