Pieter Zeeman : From Village Boy to Nobel Laureate in Physics

Dutch physicist and master experimenter Pieter Zeeman (1865 – 1943) was a key figure in 20th Century physics. Together with Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1902 for his discovery of the effect named after him which describes the influence of magnetism on light. His discovery marked the beginning of a very successful career in which he was awarded many honors and prizes. This first-time biography of Pieter Zeeman describes his life and work, offering new and enlightening details about his personal life and that of his family. Drawing on a wealth of newly discovered material, the authors A. J. Kox and H. F. Schatz present a full picture of who Pieter Zeeman was. The biography also provides an overview of the societal context in which he lived and worked, as well as an historical perspective and a more general picture of life in the Netherlands in Zeeman's time.