Who is your favorite scientist?

Answer 1

Ibn al-Haytham. Born in Basra (located in what is now Iraq) in 965, Ibn al-Haytham first studied theology, trying unsuccessfully to resolve the differences between the Shi'ah and Sunnah sects. He turned his attention to the works of the ancient Greeks, including mathematicians Euclid and Archimedes. He completed the fragmentary "Conics" by Apollonius of Perga. He was the first person to apply algebra to geometry, founding the branch of mathematics known as analytic geometry.

He wrote several treatises of applied mathematics, including "On Business Arithmetic," "Determination of the Altitudes of Mountains," "Determination of the Height of the Pole with the Greatest Precision," "On the Altitudes of Triangles," "On the Principles of Measurement," and "On the Construction of the Water Clock."

He was interested in hydrodynamics. At one point, he said, “Had I been in Egypt, I could have done something to regulate the Nile so that the people could derive benefit at its ebb and flow.” He was summoned to Egypt by Caliph Al-Hākim Bi-amr Allah and traveled down the Nile, scouting for a place to locate a dam. The site he chose is the place where the Aswan High Dam was built nine hundred years later. Ibn al-Haytham concluded it was unfeasible to build a dam at that time. He returned to Cairo and reported his failure. Nevertheless, Caliph Al-Hākim appointed him to a position in the government. Under the stress of the position, Ibn al-Haytham showed signs of madness. Caliph Al-Hākim placed him under house arrest, where he remained for ten years. During this time he developed the idea of systematically testing hypotheses with experiments—the core of the scientific method.

To test his hypothesis that “lights and colors do not blend in the air,” for example, Ibn al-Haytham devised the world's first camera obscura, observed what happened when light rays intersected at its aperture, and recorded the results. This is just one of dozens of experiments contained in "Kitāb al-Manāzir" ("Book of Optics").

"Kitāb al-Manāzir" was translated into Latin as "De aspectibus" in the late thirteenth century in Spain. Copies of the book circulated throughout Europe. Roger Bacon wrote a summary of it entitled "Perspectiva" ("Optics"). All major European scientists—from Bacon and Witelo to Kepler and Newton—were familiar with Ibn al-Haytham's work and methodology. His skeptical outlook and his insistence on the testing of hypotheses influenced all scientists who came after him.

A good biography is "Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist" by Bradley Steffens. You can find reviews of the book and a sample chapter at http://www.ibnalhaytham.net/

Answer 2

1. Einstein, I mean come on he is awesome

2. Fenyman. Seems like a good guy that liked to mess around while being smart all the time

3. Stephen Hawkings. His books of The Universe In a Nutshell and A Brief History of Time break down all the cool stuff you want to learn about the universe and makes it easier to understand.

Answer 3

Stephen Hawking

Answer 4

Isaac Newton

Answer 5

Gotta be Richard Feynman. His description of the lady at the Nobel award was hilarious. He typifies a great teacher, even though he didn't particularly like teaching.

Answer 6

Nikola Tesla

Answer 7

My wife!!! :-)

As far as famous scientists go, though... hard to pick just one, but I'd have to say Richard Feynman. Mostly because of his memoir books, such as "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman". Quite a character, he was. The books are fun, if you haven't come across them.

Answer 8

Paul Dirac

Answer 9

Alexander Graham Bell Scientist/inventor....without the telephone we would not be able to communicate!

Answer 10

anyone ever actually read a biography of Albert Einstein? kinda an odd fellow, don't know that I would like him.

I second Richard Feynman