Who discovered the law of the photoelectric effect?

Key Points

• Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
• The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons or other free carriers when light shines on a material.
• Einstein's work on the photoelectric effect provided crucial evidence for the quantum theory of light.
• His discovery helped in the development of quantum mechanics and has numerous applications in modern technology, such as solar cells and photoelectric sensors.

Additional Informatio

• Antonie van Leeuwenhoek – Known as the "Father of Microbiology," he was the first to observe bacteria and protozoa using a self-made microscope. His discoveries laid the foundation for microbiology.
• Louis Pasteur – A French scientist famous for developing pasteurization, vaccines for rabies and anthrax, and the germ theory of disease, which revolutionized medicine and microbiology.
• Rudolf Virchow – A German physician known as the "Father of Cellular Pathology," he proposed that all cells arise from pre-existing cells (Omnis cellula e cellula) and contributed to the development of cell theory.