Pascual Jordan

Ernst Pascual Jordan was a German theoretical and mathematical physicist. He lived from 1902 to 1980. He helped develop important ideas in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. He worked on the math behind matrix mechanics and created something called Jordan algebras, which people still use today.

During his career, Jordan joined the Nazi Party in 1933. After the Second World War, he went into politics and served as a member of parliament for the CDU from 1957 to 1961. His work is still important in physics.

Family history and education

Pascual Jordan was born to Ernst Pasqual Jordan and Eva Fischer. Ernst Jordan was a painter who taught art at Hannover Technical University. The family name was once Jorda from Spain, but they changed it to Jordan when they moved to Hannover.

Jordan’s family always named their first son Pascual. He grew up with strong religious beliefs but later saw that science and religion could fit together. When he was 12, he tried to understand how the Bible and evolution worked together. His teacher helped him see they were not in conflict.

Jordan began his studies at the Technical University of Hannover in 1921, learning zoology, mathematics, and physics. In 1923, he moved to the University of Göttingen, a leading school for math and science at the time. There, he studied under famous scientists like Max Born. Jordan also had a speech difficulty and got help for it in 1926.

Scientific work

Pascual Jordan worked with Max Born and Werner Heisenberg on important papers about quantum mechanics. He was one of the first scientists to explore quantum field theory before World War II.

Jordan created a special kind of math structure called Jordan algebras to help explain quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. These algebras later became important in many areas of mathematics, such as geometry, number theory, and optimization.

In 1966, Jordan wrote a book suggesting the Earth might have grown larger over time. This idea was not accepted by other scientists.

Political activities

After Germany lost the First World War and signed the Treaty of Versailles, Pascual Jordan's political views changed a lot. He became very nationalistic and right-wing, writing strong articles. He joined the Nazi party in 1933 and even became part of an SA unit.

During the war, Jordan worked as a weather analyst. After the war, he returned to politics and was elected to the Bundestag in 1957.

Selected works

Pascual Jordan wrote many important papers about quantum mechanics, the science that studies very small particles. Some of his most famous works include:

• With Max Born, a paper in 1925 about the basics of quantum mechanics.
• With Werner Heisenberg and Max Born, a paper in 1926 expanding on their earlier work.
• Several papers in 1927 where he explored new ways to understand quantum mechanics and its rules.
• A paper in 1934 with John von Neumann and Eugene Wigner about a mathematical way to generalize quantum mechanics.

These papers helped shape how scientists understand the tiny particles that make up our world.