Felix Ehrenhaft (April 24, 1879 - March 4, 1952) was an Austrian-Hungarian physicist known for his maverick style and controversy. His fearless iconoclasm was greatly admired by philosopher Paul Feyerabend. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Illustration of the Beeldenstorm during the Dutch reformation Iconoclasm is the destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Paul Karl Feyerabend (January 13, 1924 - February 11, 1994) was an Austrian-born philosopher of science, who later lived in England, the United States, New Zealand, Italy, and finally Switzerland. ...

Biography

Early years

Ehrenhaft was born in Vienna, Austria to physician Leopold Ehrenhaft and Louise Eggar, the daughter of an Hungarian industrialist. Ehrenhaft earned his doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1903, working on the optical properties of metallic colloids. He subsequently became assistant to Viktor von Lang. Vienna (German: Wien ; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Physician examining a child A physician is a person who practices medicine. ... University of Vienna, main building, seen from Beethovens apartment The University of Vienna (German: Universität Wien) in Austria was founded in 1365 by Rudolph IV and hence named Alma mater Rudolphina. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Optical redirects here. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith Look up Metal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In general, a colloid or colloidal dispersion is a substance with components of one or two phases, a type of mixture intermediate between homogeneous solution and heterogeneous mixture with properties also intermediate between a solution and a mixture. ...

Middle years

In 1907, the reality of atoms was still disputed but Albert Einstein and Marian Smoluchowski had both recently given accounts of Brownian motion in liquids, strongly supporting the atomic theory. Though Theodor Svedberg had made important demonstrations of Brownian motion in colloids, Ehrenhaft extended the work to make observations of particles of silver in air. The greater mean free path of air made for a sterner test of the reality of atoms. Ehrenhaft was awarded the Lieben Prize of the Vienna Academy of Sciences for his work. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Properties In chemistry and physics, an atom (Greek άτομον meaning indivisible) is the smallest possible particle of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties. ... Albert Einstein, photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1948. ... Marian Smoluchowski Marian Smoluchowski (Marian Ritter von Smolan Smoluchowski, 28 May 1872 in Vorderbrühl near Vienna - 5 September 1917 in Kraków) was a Polish scientist, pioneer of statistical physics and a mountaineer. ... An example of 1000 simulated steps of Brownian motion in two dimensions. ... A liquid will assume the shape of its container. ... Properties In chemistry and physics, an atom (Greek άτομον meaning indivisible) is the smallest possible particle of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties. ... Theodor (The) Svedberg (August 30, 1884 – February 25, 1971) was a Swedish chemist and Nobel laureate. ... An example of 1000 simulated steps of Brownian motion in two dimensions. ... In general, a colloid or colloidal dispersion is a substance with components of one or two phases, a type of mixture intermediate between homogeneous solution and heterogeneous mixture with properties also intermediate between a solution and a mixture. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... Look up air in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For sound waves in an enclosure, the mean free path is the average distance the wave travels between reflections off of the enclosures walls. ... Look up air in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Properties In chemistry and physics, an atom (Greek άτομον meaning indivisible) is the smallest possible particle of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties. ...

Ehrenhaft adapted his apparatus to measure the elementary charge and subsequently became involved in a bitter controversy with Robert Millikan, claiming to have measured an electric charge less than that of a single electron, Millikan being passed over for the 1920 Nobel Prize in physics owing to the unresolved nature of the debate. Controversy eventually subsided as more and more physicists were swayed by Millikan's results but even as late as 1940, Albert Einstein wrote: The elementary charge (symbol e or sometimes q) is the electric charge carried by a single proton, or equivalently, the negative of the electric charge carried by a single electron. ... Robert Millikan. ... Properties The electron is a lightweight fundamental subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. ... Robert Millikan. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (physikos), natural, and φύσις (physis), nature) is the science of the natural world, which deals with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the forces they exert on one another, and the results of these forces. ... A physicist is a scientist trained in physics. ... Robert Millikan. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Albert Einstein, photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1948. ...

Concerning his results about the elementary charge I do not believe in his numerical results, but I believe that nobody has a clear idea about the causes producing the apparent sub-electronic charges he found in careful investigations.

Even while controversy raged on sub-electronic charges, Ehrenhaft made important and substantial contributions to physics including the demonstration of photophoresis and other effects on the interaction of particles with light. Some of these effects have subsequently been explained in terms of existing phenomena but some still remain poorly understood. He became professor of experimental physics at Vienna in 1920 and was known as a conscientious researcher and effective lecturer though single-minded to the point of absurdity. Albert Einstein was a frequent visitor to his home. Following the Anschluss in 1938, Ehrenhaft emigrated, first to England, then to the U.S. where he became a citizen. Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (physikos), natural, and φύσις (physis), nature) is the science of the natural world, which deals with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the forces they exert on one another, and the results of these forces. ... In physics, photophoresis is the phenomenon that intense light induces motion in particles suspended in a gas. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths that are studied in the field of optics. ... University of Vienna, main building, seen from Beethovens apartment The University of Vienna (German: Universität Wien) in Austria was founded in 1365 by Rudolph IV and hence named Alma mater Rudolphina. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... Albert Einstein, photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1948. ... German troops march into Austria on 12 March 1938. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid... Motto: (1789 to 1956) (Latin for Out of many, one) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - • President George W. Bush (R)  - • Vice...

Later years

From the mid-1930s, Ehrenhaft's thinking started to diverge strikingly from the mainstream of physics. He observed many genuinely surprising and reproducible physical phenomena, usually of ultra-microscopic particles near the limits of perception. However, he was all too willing to adopt bizarre theories to explain experiments that were beset with interactions and multifactorial cause systems. This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (physikos), natural, and φύσις (physis), nature) is the science of the natural world, which deals with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the forces they exert on one another, and the results of these forces. ... Physical Phenomena are observable events which are explained by physics or raise some question about matter, light, or spacetime. ... PSYCHOLOGY In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. ... In statistics, an interaction is a term in a statistical model in which the effect of two, or more, variables is not simply additive. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

From the 1940s, Ehrenhaft's views became increasingly extreme and strident, eventually terminating his good friendship with Albert Einstein. He found it impossible to obtain either research funding or even a sympathetic hearing in the U.S.. In 1946, returned to the University of Vienna where he held again his old position until his death. A big part of his discoveries he worked out at this short time. He became increasingly certain that he had observed magnetic monopoles; magnetic currents; and magnetolysis, the disassociation of liquids by magnets rather than electric current as in electrolysis A final review of his life work can be found in the German scientific journal "Acta physica Austriaca" of 1952. // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... Albert Einstein, photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1948. ... Motto: (1789 to 1956) (Latin for Out of many, one) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - • President George W. Bush (R)  - • Vice... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... University of Vienna, main building, seen from Beethovens apartment The University of Vienna (German: Universität Wien) in Austria was founded in 1365 by Rudolph IV and hence named Alma mater Rudolphina. ... In physics, a magnetic monopole is a hypothetical particle that may be loosely described as a magnet with only one pole (see electromagnetic theory for more on magnetic poles). ... Iron filings in a magnetic field generated by a bar magnet A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. ... Electric current is the flow of electric charge. ... In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating bonded elements and compounds by passing an electric current through them. ...

Publications

• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Photophoresis and the Influence upon it of Electric and Magnetic fields", Phil. mag. 11 (1931),140-146
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Physical and Astronomical information Concerning Particles of the Order of Magnitude of the Wavelength of Light", Journal of the Franklin Institute, vol 230: 381-393 (Sept. 1940)
• Ehrenhaft, Felix and Banet, Leo: "Is there a true magnetism or not" Phil. sci. 8 (1941), 458-462
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Stationary Electric and Magnetic Fields in Beams of Light", Nature 147: 25 (Jan. 4, 1941).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Photophoresis and Its Interpretation by Electric and Magnetic Ions", Journal of the Franklin Institute, vol 233 (March 1942), pp. 235-255.
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "The Magnetic Current", Science 94: 232-233 (Sept 5, 1941).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix and Banet, Leo: "The Magnetic Ion", Science 96: 228-229 (Sept. 4, 1942).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "The Magnetic Current in Gases", Physical Review 61: 733 (1942).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Decomposition of Matter Through the Magnet (Magnetolysis)", Physical Review 63: 216 (1943).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Magnetolysis and the Electric Field Around the Magnetic Current", Physical Review 63: 461-462 (1943).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Further Facts Concerning the magnetic Current", Physical Review 64: 43 (1943).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "New Experiments about the Magnetic Current", Physical Review 65: 62-63 (1944).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "Continuation of Experiments with the Magnetic Current", Physical Review 65: 256 (1944).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "The Decomposition of Water by the So-Called Permanent Magnet...", Physical Review 65: 287-289 (May 1944).
• Ehrenhaft, Felix: "The Magnetic Current", Nature 154: 426-427 (Sept. 30, 1944)

See also

• Robert Millikan
• Paul Feyerabend
• List of physicists
• Nobel Prize controversies