Max Born, born on December 11, 1882, in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland), was a German physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of quantum mechanics. His work laid the foundation for understanding the behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic levels, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954.
Born was the son of Gustav Born, an anatomist and embryologist, and Margarethe Kauffmann. He studied at the University of Breslau, where he initially pursued mathematics and physics. He then moved to University of Göttingen to work under Felix Klein and David Hilbert, where he completed his doctorate in 1907 with a thesis on the stability of elastic wires under the influence of an external force.
Max Born's most famous contribution to quantum mechanics is the interpretation of the wave function, which he co-developed with Werner Heisenberg and Pascual Jordan. This interpretation, known as the Born rule, posits that the square of the wave function's absolute value gives the probability density of finding a particle in a given space or time. This probabilistic approach was a significant departure from classical physics, where particles had definite paths.
After Göttingen, Born held various academic positions, including at the University of Frankfurt and later at University of Edinburgh where he moved in 1933 due to the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany. His Jewish heritage made his position in Germany untenable. In Edinburgh, he continued his work in theoretical physics until his retirement in 1953.
Max Born received numerous honors for his work, including the Nobel Prize for his fundamental research in quantum mechanics. He shared the prize with Walther Bothe, although there was some controversy regarding the omission of Satyendra Nath Bose from the award.
Max Born's legacy in physics is profound. His work not only helped shape quantum mechanics but also influenced many other areas of physics, including solid-state physics, where his contributions to the theory of crystal lattices are notable. His textbook "Dynamical Theory of Crystal Lattices" is still considered a classic in the field.
Born died on January 5, 1970, in Göttingen, West Germany.