The History of Superconductors
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Ceramic Engineering Electrical Engineering History of Science and Technology Materials Engineering Physics |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: |
Unknown |
| Author(s): |
Organization:Superconductors.org |
| Description: | History of superconductors, starting in 1911 with the discovery by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University. Excerpt: " Superconductors, materials that have no resistance to the flow of electricity, are one of the last great frontiers of scientific discovery. Not only have the limits of superconductivity not yet been reached, but the theories that explain superconductor behavior seem to be constantly under review. In 1911 superconductivity was first observed in mercury by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University (shown above). When he cooled it to the temperature of liquid helium, 4 degrees Kelvin (-452F, -269C), its resistance suddenly disappeared. The Kelvin scale represents an "absolute" scale of temperature. Thus, it was necessary for Onnes to come within 4 degrees of the coldest temperature that is theoretically attainable to witness the phenomenon of superconductivity. Later, in 1913, he won a Nobel Prize in physics for his research in this area." |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | superconductivity ceramics Georg Bednorz Alex Muller |
| Is Component of: |
Superconductors |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: |
Part of a larger educational site on superconductivity. |
| Difficulty: |
Medium |
| Interactivity Level: |
Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | April 2008 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.superconductors.org/History.htm |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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