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Dictionary definition: Ångstrom, Anders Jonas
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Scientists
Copyright© A Dictionary of Scientists 1999, originally published by Oxford University Press 1999. (Hide copyright information)
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Ångstrom, Anders Jonas
(1814–1874) Swedish physicist and astronomer Ångstrom was born the son of a chaplain in Lögdö, Sweden. He studied and taught physics and astronomy at the University of Uppsala, where he obtained his doctorate (1839) and later became professor of physics (1858), a position he held up to his death.
Ångstrom was one of the pioneers of spectroscopy. His most important work was
Optiska Undersökningar
(1853; Optical Investigations), in which he published measurements on atomic spectra, particularly of electric sparks. He noted spectral lines that were characteristic of both the gas and the electrodes used. Ångstrom applied Euler's ...