Bridgman, Percy Williams (1882-1961), an American physicist and philosopher of science, won the 1946 Nobel Prize in physics for his experiments on high-pressure phenomena. He put various materials under extremely high pressure, then studied their mechanical, electrical, and thermal (heat energy) properties. Earlier equipment produced pressures of up to 3,000 atmospheres. Equipment redesigned by Bridgman reached 20,000 atmospheres from about 1910 to 1930, and later approached 400,000 atmospheres. One atmosphere equals 14.7 pounds per square inch (101 kilopascals).
Bridgman’s philosophy promoted an operational view of physics. He insisted that concepts be definable in terms of actual operations.
Bridgman, born on April 21, 1882, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earned a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 1908. He was on the faculty there until 1954. He died on Aug. 20, 1961.
