Maker Info
Percy Williams Bridgman
Percy Williams' Bridgman was a physicist who recieved all of his university degrees from Harvard University (beginning in 1900 and recieving his PhD in 1910). He then began his teaching career, also at Harvard University, becoming a professor in 1919. He became the Hollis Professorship of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in 1926. He remained a professor and researcher at Harvard until his retirement. His research in physics consisted mainly in the production of high pressures and in studying the effects of those pressure on matter. He raised the limit of high pressure production from 3 000 atmospheres (achieved by Emile Amagat in the early 20th century) to 425 000 atmospheres (statistics from George Sarton's introduction to Bridgman's article "Science and Freedom, Reflections of a Physicist" in Isis 37 (1947), p. 128). Bridgman recieved the Nobel Prize for Physics in November 1946 for his work on high pressures and the effects on matter.
Bridgman also worked on synthesizing diamonds from graphite using high pressures and temperatures. Although he was unsuccessful in synthesizing diamonds, he made many contributions to this field as well.
![20 glass and metal pressure gauges [?]](/internal/media/dispatcher/26867/resize%3Aformat%3Dthumbnail;jsessionid=EDB23D206A9E297FBC0A8838F971D1B9)
![23 stoppered, hollow brass tubes containing pressure gauges [?]](/internal/media/dispatcher/26866/resize%3Aformat%3Dthumbnail;jsessionid=EDB23D206A9E297FBC0A8838F971D1B9)
