Physicists and astronomers

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Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison 1901-1967
American physicist – invented the Van de Graaff generator

Van der Waals, Johannes 1837-1923
Equation for real gases. Nobel Prize in 1910 for his work on the movement of molecules within gases.

Vernier, Pierre 1580-1637
French mathematician and soldier. Designed calipers for the measurement of small lengths to an accuracy of around 0.1 mm.

Volta, Count Alessandro 1745-1827
Born in Como, Italy. Developed the voltaic pile – the forerunner of the modern battery in 1800. The electric unit the volt is named after him

Von Braun, Wernher 1912-1977
German rocket scientist. The 'father' of all modern liquid fuel rockets.

Von Guericke, Otto 1602-1686
A German physicist. Air pump. First to carry out the Magdeburg hemispheres experiment (1657). Inventor of the first electrical machine in 1660, a sulphur globe some 20 cm in diameter that could give off sparks when rubbed.

Von Laue, Max 1879-1960
Showed that X rays could be diffracted by a crystal (1912). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work in 1914.