- #1
Suekdccia
- 350
- 27
Such as Lisa Randall, Fabiola Gianotti, Shirley Ann Jackson, Ingrid Daubechies, Donna Strickland or Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Examples of really famous female physicists?
- Thread starter Suekdccia
- Start date
In summary, these women have made major contributions to physics and mathematics, and are well-known and respected by the general public.
- #2
Hamiltonian
- 296
- 193
Marie Curie! she was the first woman to win the Nobel prize and the first person to win two Nobel prizes.
- #3
DaveE
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,046
- 3,662
Rosalind Franklin deserves a vote, but y'all will probably call her a physical chemist.
- #4
DaveE
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,046
- 3,662
Also Henrietta Swan Leavitt who discovered Cepheid Variable stars (the "standard candle" Hubble used).
- #5
OCR
- 994
- 934
- #6
DennisN
Gold Member
2023 Award
- 2,091
- 8,642
Another example: Emmy Noether.
Quote: "In physics, Noether's theorem explains the connection between symmetry and conservation laws."
Quote: "In physics, Noether's theorem explains the connection between symmetry and conservation laws."
- #7
- 6,992
- 2,469
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chien-Shiung_Wu
https://insidetheperimeter.ca/pioneering-women-physics/
http://cwp.library.ucla.edu/ ( http://cwp.library.ucla.edu/lists/86.html )
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v14/134
...and likely many more
Some future ones could be found here:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=women+in+physics
https://www.google.com/search?q=women+in+physics
https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.3.20190529a/full/
https://insidetheperimeter.ca/pioneering-women-physics/
http://cwp.library.ucla.edu/ ( http://cwp.library.ucla.edu/lists/86.html )
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v14/134
...and likely many more
Some future ones could be found here:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=women+in+physics
https://www.google.com/search?q=women+in+physics
https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.3.20190529a/full/
Last edited:
- #8
romsofia
- 601
- 316
I guess it depends on "really famous", in relativity, a well known woman is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Choquet-Bruhat
In relativity (she may be classified as a mathematician, but at her time I don't know what the difference really was) as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofya_Kovalevskaya
What bothers me about Sofya's history is that you will learn something called the "Cauchy–Kowalevski theorem" in PDEs which not only spells her name wrong, but also gives credit to Cauchy who has so many things already named after him, but he only proved the theorem in a limiting case.
And finally, Cecile Dewitt-Morette:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cécile_DeWitt-Morette
Which her and Yvonne have a book that most graduate students have probably perused:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0444860177/?tag=pfamazon01-20
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Choquet-Bruhat
In relativity (she may be classified as a mathematician, but at her time I don't know what the difference really was) as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofya_Kovalevskaya
What bothers me about Sofya's history is that you will learn something called the "Cauchy–Kowalevski theorem" in PDEs which not only spells her name wrong, but also gives credit to Cauchy who has so many things already named after him, but he only proved the theorem in a limiting case.
And finally, Cecile Dewitt-Morette:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cécile_DeWitt-Morette
Which her and Yvonne have a book that most graduate students have probably perused:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0444860177/?tag=pfamazon01-20
- #9
weirdoguy
- 1,108
- 1,053
Hamiltonian299792458 said:
Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Sorry, I had to add that *smiles in polish* 
Last edited:
- #10
pinball1970
Gold Member
- 3,108
- 4,542
Dr Becky. Don't scoff they had on the BBC news for the NASA asteroid deflection thing.
Female ? Check
Physicist? Astro check
Famous? On BBC news and over 350k subs on YT, Check.
Three boxes ticked.
Female ? Check
Physicist? Astro check
Famous? On BBC news and over 350k subs on YT, Check.
Three boxes ticked.
- #11
pinball1970
Gold Member
- 3,108
- 4,542
Watson and Crick need her data to decipher DNA structure. Should she have shared the prize?DaveE said:
- #12
Klystron
Gold Member
- 1,160
- 1,794
While completing a math/CS degree at university, I wrote a paper on mathematician Ada Lovelace, the first known female computer programmer, daughter of poet Lord Byron. Ada was famous enough to have computer language Ada named for her.
FAQ: Examples of really famous female physicists?
Who are some famous female physicists?
Some examples of famous female physicists include Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Chien-Shiung Wu, and Lise Meitner.
What contributions have these female physicists made?
Marie Curie is known for her pioneering research on radioactivity and her discovery of radium and polonium. Rosalind Franklin's work on X-ray crystallography was crucial to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Chien-Shiung Wu's experiments on beta decay helped disprove the law of conservation of parity. Lise Meitner's research on nuclear fission laid the foundation for the development of atomic energy.
How have these female physicists impacted the scientific community?
These female physicists have made significant contributions to their respective fields and have helped advance our understanding of science. They have also paved the way for future generations of female scientists and have inspired many women to pursue careers in physics.
What challenges did these female physicists face in their careers?
Many of these female physicists faced discrimination and barriers in their careers due to their gender. They were often not given credit for their work or were not allowed to work in certain areas of research. They also faced challenges in receiving equal pay and recognition for their achievements.
How have attitudes towards female physicists changed over time?
Attitudes towards female physicists have improved over time, but there is still a gender gap in the field. More women are now pursuing careers in physics, and there are efforts being made to promote diversity and inclusion in the scientific community. However, there is still work to be done to ensure equal opportunities and recognition for female physicists.