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Biography
AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjectsRelationships
PeopleInstitutionsResources
Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as SubjectP. W. Bridgman
Dates
April 21, 1882 – August 21, 1961
Authorized Form of Name
Bridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams), 1882-1961
Additional Forms of Names
Bridgman, P. W.
Bridgman, Percy Williams
Bridgman, Percy Williams, 1882-1961
Biography
Abstract
Percy Williams Bridgman investigated the properties of matter under high pressure and won the 1946 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work. Bridgman is also known for his research on electrical conduction in metals and properties of crystals.
Important Dates
April 21, 1882Birth, Cambridge (Mass.).
1904Obtained AB, Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).
1904 – 1961Assistant in Physics (1904-1913); Assistant Professor of Physics (1913-1919); Professor of Physics (1919-1926); Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy (1926-1950); Higgins University Professor (1950-1954); and Higgins University Professor, Emeritus (1954-1961), Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).
1905Obtained AM, Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).
1908Obtained PhD in Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).
1917Awarded Rumford Prize, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
1918Member, National Academy of Sciences.
1932Awarded the Cresson Medal, The Franklin Institute.
1933Awarded both the Comstock Prize, National Academy of Sciences, and the Roozenboom Medal, Netherlands Royal Academy.
1942President, American Physical Society.
1946Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics "for the invention of an apparatus to produce extremely high pressures, and for the discoveries he made therewith in the field of high pressure physics".
1949Fellow, Royal Society.
1951Awarded the Bingham Medal, Society of Rheology.
August 21, 1961Death, Cambridge (Mass.).
Occupation
High pressure physicist.
Places
Birth
Undergraduate Education
Graduate Education
Employment
Death
Subjects
Relationships
People
Family
Bridgman, Jane
Daughter.
Bridgman, Mary Ann
Mother.
Bridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams), 1882-1961
Bridgman, Raymond L. (Raymond Landon), 1848-1925
Father.
Bridgman, Robert Ware
Son.
Ware, Olive
Wife.
Advisors & Collaborators
Advised by Bridgman at Harvard University and both employed at Harvard University.
Kemble, Edwin C. (Edwin Crawford), 1889-
Advised by Bridgman at Harvard and both employed at Harvard University.
Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967
Advised by Bridgman at Harvard University.
Sabine, Wallace Clement
Ph.D. advisor at Harvard University.
Slater, John C. (John Clarke), 1900-1976
Advised by Bridgman at Harvard University and both employed at Harvard.
Colleagues
Allison, Samuel King, 1900-1965
Both employed at Harvard University.
Bainbridge, Kenneth T. (Kenneth Tompkins), 1904-1996
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Conant, James Bryant, 1893-1978
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Fisk, James B. (James Brown), 1910-1981
Both employed at Harvard University.
Fletcher, James Chipman, 1919-1991
Both employed at Harvard University.
Furry, W. H. (Wendell Hinkle), 1907-
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Kent, R. H. (Robert Harrington), 1886-1961
Both employed at Harvard University.
Kirkwood, John Gamble, 1907-1959
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Mackey, George W. (George Whitelaw), 1916-2006
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Nier, Alfred O. (Alfred Otto), 1911-1994
Both employed at Harvard University.
Pierce, George Washington, 1872-1956
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Saunders, Frederick A. (Frederick Albert), 1875-1963
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Thomas, Tracy Y. (Tracy Yerkes), 1899-1983
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Van Vleck, J. H. (John Hasbrouck), 1899-1980
Both employed at Harvard University.
Webster, David Locke, 1888-1976
Both employed at Harvard University.
Both employed at Harvard University.
Additional
Allen, Mildred, 1894-1990
Armstrong, Alice H.
Bleaney, B. (Brebis)
Buck, Paul Herman, 1899-1978
Clapp, Roger Edge, 1919-1990
Darrow, Karl K. (Karl Kelchner), 1891-
Drickamer, H. G. (Harry George), 1918-2002
Fajans, Kasimir, 1887-1975
Frank, Philipp, 1884-1966
Goetz, Alexander, 1897-1970
Holton, Gerald James
Hunt, Frederick V.
Jeffreys, Harold, 1891-1989
Libby, Willard F.
Lindsay, Robert Bruce, 1900-
MacDonald, Gordon J. (Gordon James), 1929-2002
Margenau, Henry, 1901-1997
McFarlan, Ronald Lyman
Pauling, Linus, 1901-1994
Richardson, O. W. (Owen Willans), 1879-1959
Runcorn, S. K.
Sanford, Hugh Wheeler, 1879-1961
Sharp, Robert P. (Robert Phillip)
Tate, John T. (John Torrence), 1889-1950
Walter, Maila L.
Institutions
Major Positions
Harvard University. Department of Mathematics
Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.
Harvard University. Department of Physics
Obtained AB in 1904, AM in 1905, and PhD in 1908. Assistant in Physics; Assistant Professor of Physics; Professor of Physics; Higgins University Professor; and Higgins University Professor, Emeritus.
Professional Activities & Affiliations
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Received 1917 Rumford Prize.
President.
Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Awarded the 1932 Cresson Medal.
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Royal Society (Great Britain)
Awarded the 1951 Bingham Medal.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
Percy W. Bridgman crank theories collection, 1925-1961.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Percy Williams Bridgman papers, 1905-1982.
Archives. Pusey Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Some of the broader implications of science [sound recording] : John Franklin Carlson Lecture at Iowa State University, 1957 May 1.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Subject
Alexander Goetz papers, 1919-1976 (bulk 1930-1976).
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Edgar Buckingham papers, 1889-1938.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Harry G. Drickamer response to History of Geophysics Survey, 1997.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Harvard University Department of Physics records, 1879-[ongoing].
Archives. Pusey Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Hugh W. Sanford papers, 1866-1963.
Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, East Tennessee Historical Center
Knox County Public Library
314 W. Clinch Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902, USA
Iowa State University John Franklin Carlson Lecture records, 1955-1969.
Parks Library. Department of Special Collections
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011, USA
J. H. Van Vleck biographical information, 1963.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
J. H. Van Vleck papers, 1853-1981 (1920-1980).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
John Bardeen papers, 1910-1991.
University Archives
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1408 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Joint ceremonial session of the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers [sound recording] / 1971 February 2.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Kasimir Fajans papers, 1912-1975.
Bentley Historical Library
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2113, USA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Midcentury Convocation records, 1949.
Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
O. W. Richardson papers, 1897-1959 (bulk 1920-1940).
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Drawer 7219, Austin, TX 78713-7219, USA
Oral history interview with Alice Armstrong, 1979 June 11.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Brebis Bleaney, 1982 January 15.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Edward M. Purcell, 1976 November 23.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Edwin C. Kemble, 1962 May 11 to 1963 October 2.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Frederick Vinton Hunt, 1964 December 18 and 1965 January 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Gerald Holton, 1977 January 11.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Gordon J. MacDonald, 1993 November 15, 1994 March 18 and 1995 August 4.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Henry Margenau, 1964 May 6.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with J. H. Van Vleck, 1963 October 2 and 4.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1963 November 18 and 20.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with John Clarke Slater, 1963 October 3 and 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with John Van Vleck, 1977 January 28.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Karl K. Darrow, 1964 April 2 and 10 June.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Linus Carl Pauling, 1964 March 27.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Mildred Allen, 1979 June 18.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Niels Bohr, 1962 October 31, November 1, 7, 14, and 17.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Paul Buck, 1977 March 2.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Philipp Frank, 1962 July 16.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Bruce Lindsay, 1964 May 6 and July 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Phillip Sharp, 1990 April 26.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Ronald Lyman McFarlan, 1979 December 18.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with S. Keith Runcorn, 1993 September 16 and 17.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Willard Frank Libby, 1979 April 12 and 16.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Reviews of Modern Physics correspondence of John Torrence Tate, 1928.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Roger Edge Clapp papers, 1914-1991 (bulk 1940-1991).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Sir Harold Jeffreys papers, 1886-1999.
The Library
St. John's College
Cambridge CB2 1TP
The first ten years of John Slater's scientific career, circa 1979.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Published Resources
Author
A condensed collection of thermodynamic formulas / by P.W. Bridgman
A physicist's second reaction to Mengenlehre / by P.W. Bridgman.
A sophisticate's primer of relativity / Prologue and epilogue by Adolf Grünbaum.
Collected experimental papers [by] P.W. Bridgman.
Dimensional analysis / by W.P. Bridgman
Reprints (not included in Collected Papers).
Some results in the field of high-pressure physics.
The effect of pressure on the thermal conductivity of metals / by P. W. Bridgman.
The logic of modern physics / by P.W. Bridgman
The nature of physical theory / published on the Louis Clark Vanuxem Foundation.
The nature of some of our physical concepts.
The physics of high pressure, by P.W. Bridgman
The technique of high pressure experimenting / by P.W. Bridgman.
Subject
"Percy Williams Bridgman: 1882-1961", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences
Percy W. Bridgman Physics Today obituary.
Science and Cultural Crisis: An Intellectual Biography of Percy Williams Bridgman