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Notes
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Tubes of this type were used by William and Lawrence Bragg as an X-ray source. Using X-rays the Braggs were able to determine the atomic structure of crystals in 1912. They won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1915 for their discovery and, at age 25, Lawrence Bragg remains the youngest ever Nobel prize winner.
While the crystals they looked at first were very simple and regular, their method was later used to determine the structure of much more complex molecules such as DNA.
The Royal Institution
London
Title
Coolidge Tube
Date
2009
Medium
oil on linen
Measurements
H 25 x W 45.4 cm
Accession number
EN 31
Acquisition method
gift from Dr Mary Joyce Pickersgill, 2010
Work type
Painting
The Royal Institution
21 Albermarle Street, London, Greater London W1S 4BS England
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