Niels Bohr

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Know about the element of uncertainty of nature in Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum theory and its success despite Albert Einstein's objections

Learn about Niels Bohr and the difference of opinion between Bohr and Albert Einstein on quantum mechanics

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Niels Bohr's contribution to atomic theory explained

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Niels Bohr summary

Niels Bohr

Q: What was Niels Bohr’s most important discovery?

Niels Bohr proposed a model of the atom in which the electron was able to occupy only certain orbits around the nucleus. This atomic model was the first to use quantum theory, in that the electrons were limited to specific orbits around the nucleus. Bohr used his model to explain the spectral lines of hydrogen .

Q: What was Niels Bohr’s atomic model?

Niels Bohr modeled the atom with electrons that could only have specific stable orbits. This model of the atom was the first to incorporate quantum theory. That electrons could only occur in specific orbits explained why elements such as hydrogen emitted and absorbed light at specific wavelengths.

Danish physicist

Also known as: Niels Henrik David Bohr

Written by Finn Aaserud

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 14, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: Niels Henrik David Bohr

Born:: October 7, 1885, Copenhagen, Denmark

Died:: November 18, 1962, Copenhagen (aged 77)

Awards And Honors:: Copley Medal (1938); Nobel Prize (1922)

Notable Family Members:: son Aage N. Bohr; brother Harald August Bohr

What was Niels Bohr’s most important discovery?

What was Niels Bohr’s atomic model?

Niels Bohr (born October 7, 1885, Copenhagen, Denmark—died November 18, 1962, Copenhagen) was a Danish physicist who is generally regarded as one of the foremost physicists of the 20th century. He was the first to apply the quantum concept, which restricts the energy of a system to certain discrete values, to the problem of atomic and molecular structure. For that work he received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922. His manifold roles in the origins and development of quantum physics may be his most-important contribution, but through his long career his involvements were substantially broader, both inside and outside ...(100 of 2163 words)

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