Hans Geiger was a German physicist born in 1882 who invented the Geiger counter. He studied physics in university and worked with Ernest Rutherford, discovering that alpha particles could pass through thin materials. To count the flashes, Geiger invented an early version of the Geiger counter. After World War I where his research was interrupted, Geiger improved the counter and married Elisabeth Heffter. He later developed the Geiger-Muller counter with Walther Muller and held physics professor positions until his death in 1945.

1. Hans Geiger

2. Early Life
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●
Hans was born on September 30 , 1882 in
Neustadt an-der-Haardt, Germany.
● He studied, after his military service, at
University of Munich and at the University of
Erlangen, and received a doctorate degree in
physics.

3. Beginning His Career
Soon after graduating college, Hans moved to
Manchester, England. Where he met Ernest
Rutherford. The two men joined in friendship,
and worked together for a long time.
The two began experiments based off
Rutherford's discovery of Alpha Particles that
were given off of radioactive materials.

4. Invention of the Geiger Counter
The two men knew that Alpha Particles could go
through thin walls, so they decided to try
shooting the alpha particles through gold foil
onto a screen, which appeared as thousands of
tine flashing lights.
In order to count all these flashes, Hans created
an early version of the Geiger Counter, making
things easier than counting every flash by
yourself.

5. Interrupted Research
Hans returned to Germany in 1912 at the
director of the new Laboratory of Radioactivity,
where he continued his research, and updated
his Alpha counter to be able to count several
other types of radiation.
Hans' research was put on hold, however, at
the start of World War 1.

6. Post-War
After the war, Hans returned to Germany, where
he met Elisabeth Heffter.
He married her in 1920, and had three sons
with her.
In 1925, Hans became the professor of physics
at the University of Kiel, where he developed,
along with Walther Mueller, the Geiger-Mueller
counter, usually referred to as the Geiger
counter.

7. Later Life
Hans was offered the seat at the Technische
Hochschule in 1936. He became involved with
Adolf Hitler's politics shortly after this, by
helping to compose and sign a letter with about
75 other German physicians, urging Hitler's
administration to stay out of science, and that
their previous meddling had caused enough
trouble for the realm of science already.

8. Passage on
Hans continued his work at the Technische
Hochschule, though he was confined to bed
much of the time, as a result of rheumatism
caused by crouching in trenches during WW.
He was just starting to show signs of better
health, when his home city was occupied by a
hostile force in 1945. He and his family was
forced to move away, and he died soon after,
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on September 24 , 1945

9. Recognitions and Contributions
Hans was given the seat of Physics professor at
four different colleges.
He held a doctorate degree in Physics and
Mathematics.
He contributed to the field of science the Geiger
Counter, and knowledge of the atomic-nucleus.

10. Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Geiger
●http://www.notablebiographies.com/Fi-Gi/Geiger-Hans.html
●Bing.com (images)