Abstract
THE award of the Nobel Prize for chemistry for 1936 to Prof. P. Debye will give great pleasure to his friends everywhere. Debye's contributions to science have been many, and have covered a wide range of subjects, but they all have certain features characteristic of the man who made them. He combines, in a remarkable way, ability in mathematical analysis with a sturdy sense of physical realities, so that he is able to make bold approximations without invalidating the formulae at which he arrives. His early training as an engineer, followed by his training in theoretical physics under Sominer-feld, must have contributed to this striking combination of qualities. They have been shown equally by his all-important work on specific heats, on dipole moments in gases, and on the theory of strong electrolytes. He has made notable contributions to X-ray analysis, in particular the ‘powder-method’, the theory of scattering of X-rays by molecules, and the effect of temperature on X-ray diffraction. He is a delightful and inspiring lecturer. All who know him have the double pleasure of seeing the award so appropriately bestowed, and of being able to congratulate a kindly and delightful friend. Prof. Debye received the Royal Society's Rumford Medal in 1930, and in 1933 was elected a foreign member of the Society.
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Nobel Prize for Chemistry: Prof. P. Debye. Nature 138, 873 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/138873a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/138873a0