Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Walther Gerlach
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quizzes
Michael Faraday (L) English physicist and chemist (electromagnetism) and John Frederic Daniell (R) British chemist and meteorologist who invented the Daniell cell.
Faces of Science
Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.
Physics and Natural Law
Quick Facts
Born:
Aug. 1, 1889, Biebrich am Rhein, Ger.
Died:
Aug. 10, 1979, Munich (aged 90)
Subjects Of Study:
Stern-Gerlach experiment
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Walther Gerlach

German physicist
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Walther Gerlach (born Aug. 1, 1889, Biebrich am Rhein, Ger.—died Aug. 10, 1979, Munich) was a German physicist noted especially for his work with Otto Stern on the deflections of atoms in a nonhomogeneous magnetic field.

Educated at the University of Tübingen, he became a lecturer there in 1916; after periods at Göttingen and Frankfurt, he returned to Tübingen as professor of physics in 1925 and from 1929 to 1957 was professor of physics at Munich. He was best known for his part in the Stern-Gerlach experiment (q.v.), but he also made contributions in the fields of radiation, spectroscopy, and quantum theory. His books include Grundlagen der Quantentheorie (1921), Magnetismus (1931), Humaniora und Natur (1950), and Kepler und die Copernicanische Wende (1973).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.