Printable Famous Scientists Worksheets

Famous Scientists Worksheets

Scientists work to understand natural phenomena and make predictions based on their studies. The ranking order of the most important scientist of all time is an often talked about topic. One name always comes to the surface as the most influential scientist of all time. The name is Isaac Newton. As one scholar wrote, "Newton's work was and is the basis for all other scientists." Here are a number of helpful printables to help students better identify with a wide range of scientists.

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The Most Influential Scientists of All Time In No Particular Order

The world we inhabit is teeming with mysteries, but not all of us are curious enough to wonder how and why. The scientists who have intellectually endeavored to explain the world to us have found their answers in the descent of an apple, in bathwater rising, and of course, in moments of more complexity and after years of research.

We won't be able to cover all scientists whose valuable contributions have influenced science, technology, and medicine, but these are a few names that everyone has heard of. The world today can't be imagined without their work.

Archimedes

Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor. His passion for science and understanding of how the world works has given birth to numerous stories about him. Everyone knows him as the guy who figured out how to gauge the composition of his king's crown while taking a bath. He even died at the hands of an impulsive soldier who ordered him to move, but Archimedes, engrossed in his work, unknowingly disobeyed and met death.

He was born in the Greek colony of Syracuse, Sicily, in 287 BC. He spent a portion of his life in Alexandria, Egypt, to put himself at the heart of learning. Archimedes' screw can be confidently called his most significant invention as it modernized irrigation. This invention is still in use today, a testament to its magnitude.

He came up with methods to calculate the area of a circle, the surface area of a sphere, and the correct numerical value of pi. For this, he is recognized as the Father of Mathematics. He also invented numerous astronomical instruments which could map out the positions and movement of the sun and the planets.

Einstein

Albert Einstein is a name that almost everyone has heard of and is unequivocally regarded as the most influential scientist ever to live. However, not many know of the resistance his work faced or how at one point, he was a mere clerk in the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. Despite failing to land an academic position, he published four scientific papers. One of these four papers is about the relationship between matter and energy, which the entire world is familiar with as E=mc2.

Despite the setbacks and struggles, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. Einstein introduced the concepts of quantum mechanics and the general theory of general relativity. What Einstein wrote back in the day was met with resistance; however, today, almost all of his ideas form the foundation of scientific research and discoveries today, such as light being made up of photons or the warping effects of gravity on space and time.

Newton

Isaac Newton is undoubtedly recognized as the scientist who discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head. However, his contributions are so much more and even venture outside the realm of science (into crime and economics). He was born during the plague and assumed that he wouldn't survive it.

Newton, along with discovering gravity and formulating laws of physics, also created calculus. Much of his work was published at the insistence of his friend Edmund Halley (of Halley's Comet fame). His work explained the solar system's movement and how gravity influenced planetary motion.

After numerous contributions to science and mathematics, Newton was appointed as Warden of the Mint in London. This appointment began the journey of advising changes in the currency that are still around today. After shaping the country's economy and establishing the gold standard, he invested his time and effort in catching counterfeiters. For this, he allegedly went undercover as well.

Marie Curie

Men dominate the world of science, making Marie Curie even more admirable. She was born in Poland in 1867 and had some of the most challenging early years before she could embark on her journey of scientific discoveries. With a father who was a professor of math and physics and a mother who was a headmistress, it is no wonder Marie Curie was intrigued by scientific mysteries around her.

Due to the surrounding political turmoil and the time she lived, women weren't allowed to take up higher education and enroll in universities. She decided to become a governess to ensure her sister could be sent abroad where such restrictions did not exist. And finally, one day, she was able to escape to Paris herself.

Curie was inspired by the work of the physicist who discovered uranium. She was fascinated by uranium emissions and decided to study them further for her Ph.D. thesis. Curie discovered the emissions were taking place on an atomic level, and thus the concept of radioactivity was introduced to the world. Curie and her husband discovered radium and polonium together as they continued to study radioactive elements. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for her contributions to science.

Tesla

Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in a land now recognized as Croatia. He was an electrical engineer, a mechanical engineer, and a futurist. The electricity-charged life that we experience today results from the numerous experiments that Tesla led. His designs and inventions enabled us to send current and power over vast distances. It took cell phone companies today to fully utilize and materialize the potential of his wireless transmission of power.

He is considered an eccentric scientist based on the ideas he had. One such idea was constructing incredibly tall towers that could transmit electrical energy harnessed from the environment across the globe. He was an environmentalist who wanted to preserve the earth's resources and emphasized using renewable fuel sources.

He allegedly had plans to make a death ray and had accidentally caused a mini earthquake while attempting to make one of his generators work. Adding to the eccentricity is knowing that he worked with the government and a lot of his work was deemed classified.

Let's Sum It All Up

These are scientists who have steered humanity into enlightened and progressive eras. They have defied odds and battled hurdles, proving that no great work is easy. We owe all of our understanding of the universe and the ease of our lives to them.