History Teaching, Vol. 33 No. 1, 2022.
Professional paper
THE INFLUENCE OF DISCOVERIES IN PHYSICS ON THE HISTORY OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Rajka Jurdana-Šepić
orcid.org/0000-0001-8361-4494
; University of Rijeka Department of Physics
Abstract
The twentieth century made the science go through exponential development, which consequently took over the dominance of the intellectual sphere and exerted a huge influence on the economy, the standard of living and the society in general. Physics is a fundamental natural science that, apart from exceptional theoretical and experimental discoveries in the 20th century, has a strong influence on the development of related natural sciences, chemistry and biology (the discovery of DNA structure by X-ray crystallography), technology (the conquest of space, new materials, diagnostic techniques in medicine, digital revolution), and thus the economy as well, and due to the use of nuclear weapons there was also the influence on the social sphere and politics unprecedented in history. The article provides with an overview on the most significant physical discoveries of the 20th century and aspects of their influence on society and historical events through quotes from the famous physicists and science historians.
Keywords
20th century; science; technology; physics
Hrčak ID:
294364
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2022.
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