Essay, Biography or Paragraph on “Wilhelm K Roentgen” complete biography for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Wilhelm K Roentgen

Germany : Physicist and Discoverer of X-rays

Birth :1845        Death : 1923

The name of Roentgen is well-known throughout the world as the discoverer of X-rays. 13tit he is equally famous for another reason also as a recipient of the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895 was a matter of chance only.

One day he was carrying out experiments with Cathode Ray Tube. He observed that when cathode rays struck against the walls of the cathode Ray Tube or an element of higher atomic weight, these produced some invisible rays which were quite different from the cathode rays. He also observed that these rays were unaffected by electric and magnetic fields. Roentgen called these rays ‘X-rays’ because of their being of an unknown nature. After this discovery, Roentgen through different experiments found out the penetrability of these X-rays against different objects. He noted that X-rays were highly penetrable. Discovery of X-rays brought revolutionary changes in the spheres of medicine and physics. Within a short period of their discovery they were put to use in medical treatment in British hospitals. X-rays have proved immensely helpful in the treatment of internal injuries and disorders.

Roentgen also conducted important experiments on the magnetic effects of the rotation of dielectricals and incidence of electricity in crystals. The discovery of X-rays is, however, his greatest contribution to the world of science.

Prof. Roentgen was born in 1845 in Germany. His father was a German peasant while his mother was of Dutch origin. He received his early education in Switzerland and Holland. He received his doctorate in Physics from the Zurich University. Roentgen died in Munich in 1923.