physics

Werner Kolhörster

Werner Kolhörster is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Werner Kolhörster rather than just read about it. In short: Werner Heinrich Gustav Kolhörster (28 December 1887 – 5 August 1946) was a German physicist and a pioneer of research into cosmic rays. Kolhörster was born in Schwiebus (Świebodzin), Brandenburg Province of Prussia.

Key takeaways

Werner Kolhörster belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Werner Kolhörster to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Werner Kolhörster from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Werner Heinrich Gustav Kolhörster (28 December 1887 – 5 August 1946) was a German physicist and a pioneer of research into cosmic rays. Kolhörster was born in Schwiebus (Świebodzin), Brandenburg Province of Prussia. While attending the University of Halle, he studied physics under Friedrich Ernst Dorn. Repeating the cosmic ray experiments of Victor Hess, in 1913-14 Kolhörster ascended by balloon to an altitude of 9 km, where he confirmed Hess' result that the ionization rate from cosmic rays was greater at that altitude than at sea level. This was evidence that the source for these ionizing rays came from above the Earth's atmosphere. Kolhörster continued his physics studies at the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin, beginning in 1914. During World War I he made measurements of atmospheric electricity in Turkey. Following the war he became a teacher. He joined the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt in 1922. In 1928–29, Walter Bothe and Kolhörster used the Geiger-Muller detector to demonstrate that cosmic rays were actually charged particles. The ability of these particles to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere meant that they must be highly energetic. In 1930, Kolhörster started the first institute for the study of cosmic rays in Potsdam, with financial assistance from the Prussian Academy of Sciences. He became director of the Institut für Hohenstrahlungsforschung in Berlin-Dahlem in 1935, where he was appointed an ordinary professor. Kolhörster was killed in a car crash in Munich. The crater Kolhörster on the Moon is named in his memory.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Werner Kolhörster

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Werner Kolhörster claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Werner Kolhörster before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Werner Kolhörster ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Werner Kolhörster

In research: Werner Kolhörster appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Werner Kolhörster in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Werner Kolhörster is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1887 births, 1946 deaths, 20th-century German physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Werner Kolhörster outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Werner Kolhörster” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Werner Kolhörster in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Werner Kolhörster means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Werner Kolhörster out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Werner Kolhörster in simple terms?

Why does Werner Kolhörster matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Werner Kolhörster?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Werner Kolhörster.