List of Scientific Laws Named After People

This is a list of scientific laws named after people (eponymous laws). For other lists of eponyms, see eponym.

Law Field Person(s) Named After
Abel's theorem Calculus Niels Henrik Abel
Amdahl's law Computer science Gene Amdahl
Ampère's circuital law Physics André-Marie Ampère
Archie's law Geology Gus Archie
Archimedes' principle Physics Archimedes
Arrhenius equation Chemical kinetics Svante Arrhenius
Avogadro's law Thermodynamics Amedeo Avogadro
Bell's theorem Quantum mechanics John Stewart Bell
Beer–Lambert law Optics August Beer, Johann Heinrich Lambert
Bernoulli's principle
Bernoulli's equation
Physical sciences Daniel Bernoulli
Biot–Savart law Electromagnetics, fluid dynamics Jean Baptiste Biot and Félix Savart
Birch's law Geophysics Francis Birch
Bogoliubov–Born–Green–Kirkwood–Yvon hierarchy Physics Nikolay Bogoliubov, Max Born, Herbert Green, John Kirkwood, and J. Yvon
Bogoliubov transformation Quantum mechanics Nikolay Bogoliubov
Boltzmann equation Thermodynamics Ludwig Boltzmann
Born's law Quantum mechanics Max Born
Boyle's law Thermodynamics Robert Boyle
Bradford's law Computer science Samuel C. Bradford
Buys Ballot's law Meteorology C.H.D. Buys Ballot
Byerlee's law Geophysics James Byerlee
Carnot's theorem Thermodynamics Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot
Cauchy's integral formula
Cauchy–Riemann equations
Complex analysis Augustin Louis Cauchy
Augustin Louis Cauchy and Bernhard Riemann
Cayley–Hamilton theorem Linear algebra Arthur Cayley and William Hamilton
Charles's law Thermodynamics Jacques Charles
Church–Turing thesis Computer science Alonzo Church and Alan Turing
Coulomb's law Physics Charles Augustin de Coulomb
Law of Charles and Gay-Lussac (frequently called Charles's law) Thermodynamics Jacques Charles and Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac
Clifford's theorem
Clifford's circle theorems
Algebraic geometry, Geometry William Kingdon Clifford
Curie's law Physics Pierre Curie
Curie–Weiss law Physics Pierre Curie and Pierre-Ernest Weiss
D'Alembert's paradox
D'Alembert's principle
Fluid dynamics, Physics Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Dalton's law of partial pressure Thermodynamics John Dalton
Darcy's law Fluid mechanics Henry Darcy
De Bruijn–Erdős theorem Mathematics Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn and Paul Erdős
De Morgan's law Logic Augustus De Morgan
Dermott's law Celestial mechanics Stanley Dermott
Descartes' theorem Geometry René Descartes
Dirac equation
Dirac delta function
Dirac comb
Dirac spinor
Dirac operator
Mathematics, Physics Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac
Drake equation Cosmology Frank Drake
Doppler effect Physics Christian Doppler
Ehrenfest's theorem Quantum mechanics Paul Ehrenfest
Einstein's general theory of relativity
Einstein's special theory of relativity
Physics Albert Einstein
Erdős–Anning theorem
Mathematics Paul Erdős and Norman H. Anning
Erdős–Beck theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and József Beck
Erdős–Gallai theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and Tibor Gallai
Erdős–Kac theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and Mark Kac
Erdős–Ko–Rado theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős, Ke Zhao, and Richard Rado
Erdős–Nagy theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy
Erdős–Rado theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and Richard Rado
Erdős–Stone theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and Arthur Harold Stone
Erdős–Szekeres theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and George Szekeres
Erdős–Szemerédi theorem Mathematics Paul Erdős and Endre Szemerédi
Euclid's theorem Number theory Euclid
Euler's theorem
Number theory Leonhard Euler
Faraday's law of induction
Faraday's law of electrolysis
Electromagnetism
Chemistry
Michael Faraday
Faxén's law Fluid dynamics Hilding Faxén
Fermat's principle
Fermat's last theorem
Fermat's little theorem
Optics
Number theory
Number theory
Pierre de Fermat
Fermi paradox
Fermi's golden rule
Fermi acceleration
Fermi hole
Fermionic field
Fermi level
Cosmology, Physics Enrico Fermi
Fick's law of diffusion Thermodynamics Adolf Fick
Fitts's law Ergonomics Paul Fitts
Fourier's law Thermodynamics Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier
Gauss's law
Gauss's law for magnetism
Gauss's principle of least constraint
Gauss's digamma theorem
Gauss's hypergeometric theorem
Gaussian function
Mathematics, Physics Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss
Gibbs–Helmholtz equation Thermodynamics Josiah Willard Gibbs, Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz
Gödel's incompleteness theorems Mathematics Kurt Gödel
Graham's law Thermodynamics Thomas Graham
Grimm's law Linguistics Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle Theoretical physics Werner Heisenberg
Hellmann–Feynman theorem Physics Hans Hellmann, Richard Feynman
Henry's law Thermodynamics William Henry
Hertz observations Electromagnetism Heinrich Hertz
Hess's law Thermodynamics Germain Henri Hess
Hilbert's basis theorem
Hilbert's axioms
Hilbert function
Hilbert's irreducibility theorem
Hilbert's syzygy theorem
Hilbert's Theorem 90
Hilbert's theorem
Mathematics David Hilbert
Hohenberg–Kohn theorem Quantum mechanics Pierre Hohenberg and Walter Kohn
Helmholtz's theorems
Helmholtz theorem
Helmholtz free energy
Helmholtz decomposition
Helmholtz equation
Helmholtz resonance
Thermodynamics
Physics
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hooke's law Physics Robert Hooke
Hopkinson's law Electromagnetism John Hopkinson
Hubble's law Cosmology Edwin Hubble
Hund's rules Atomic physics Friedrich Hund
Huygens–Fresnel principle Optics Christiaan Huygens and Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Joule's laws Physics James Joule
Jurin's law Physics James Jurin
Kasha's rule Photochemistry Michael Kasha
Kepler's laws of planetary motion Astrophysics Johannes Kepler
Kirchhoff's laws Electronics, thermodynamics Gustav Kirchhoff
Kopp's law Thermodynamics Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp
Lagrangian point
Lagrange reversion theorem
Lagrange polynomial
Lagrange's four-square theorem
Lagrange's theorem
Lagrange's theorem (group theory)
Lagrange invariant
Lagrange multiplier
Mathematics, Astrophysics Joseph Louis Lagrange
Lamm equation Chemistry, Biophysics Ole Lamm
Langmuir equation Surface Chemistry Irving Langmuir
Laplace transform
Laplace's equation
Laplace operator
Laplace distribution
Laplace invariant
Laplace expansion
Laplace principle
Laplace limit
Mathematics
Physics
Probability Theory
Statistical mechanics
Pierre-Simon Laplace
Le Chatelier's principle Chemistry Henri Louis le Chatelier
Leibniz's law Ontology Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Lenz's law Physics Heinrich Lenz
Leonard–Merritt mass estimator Astrophysics Peter Leonard, David Merritt
l'Hôpital's rule Mathematics Guillaume de l'Hôpital
Mach principle
Mach reflection
Physics Ernst Mach
Marconi's law Scientific Guglielmo Marconi
Markovnikov's rule Organic Chemistry Vladimir Markovnikov
Maupertuis' principle Mathematics Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Maxwell's equations
Maxwell relations
Electrodynamics
Thermodynamics
James Clerk Maxwell
Metcalfe's law Network theory Robert Metcalfe
Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein effect Particle Physics Stanislav Mikheyev, Alexei Smirnov, and Lincoln Wolfenstein
Milner–Rado paradox Mathematical logic Eric Charles Milner and Richard Rado
Minkowski's theorem Number theory Hermann Minkowski
Moore's law Computing Gordon Moore
Nash embedding theorem
Nash equilibrium
Topology
Game Theory
John Forbes Nash
Nernst equation Electrochemistry Walther Nernst
Newton's law of cooling
Newton's law of universal gravitation
Newton's laws of motion
Thermodynamics
Astrophysics
Mechanics
Isaac Newton
Noether's theorem Theoretical physics Emmy Noether
Nurgaliev's law Demography Nurgaliev's law
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem Information theory Harry Nyquist, Claude Elwood Shannon
Occam's razor Philosophy of science William of Ockham
Ohm's law Electronics Georg Ohm
Osipkov–Merritt model Astrophysics Leonid Osipkov, David Merritt
Ostwald dilution law Physical chemistry Wilhelm Ostwald
Paley–Wiener theorem Mathematics Raymond Paley and Norbert Wiener
Pareto distribution
Pareto efficiency
Pareto index
Pareto principle
Economics Vilfredo Pareto
Pascal's law
Pascal's theorem
Physics
Geometry
Blaise Pascal
Pauli exclusion principle Quantum mechanics Wolfgang Pauli
Peano axioms Foundational mathematics Giuseppe Peano
Planck's law Electromagnetism Max Planck
Poincaré–Bendixson theorem Mathematics Henri Poincaré and Ivar Otto Bendixson
Poincaré–Birkhoff–Witt theorem Mathematics Henri Poincaré, George David Birkhoff, and Ernst Witt
Poincaré–Hopf theorem Mathematics Henri Poincaré and Heinz Hopf
Poincaré recurrence theorem
Poincaré conjecture
Poincaré lemma
Mathematics Henri Poincaré
Poiseuille's law Fluidics Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille
Poisson distribution
Poisson's equation
Statistics
Calculus
Siméon Denis Poisson
Ptolemy's theorem Geometry Ptolemy
Pythagorean theorem Geometry Pythagoras
Raman scattering Physics Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman
Rado's theorem Discrete mathematics Richard Rado
Ramanujan–Nagell equation
Mathematics Srinivasa Ramanujan and Trygve Nagell
Raoult's law Physical chemistry Francois Marie Raoult
Riemann zeta function
Riemann hypothesis
Riemann integral
Riemann lemma
Riemannian manifold
Riemann sphere
Riemann theta function
Number theory, analysis, geometry Bernhard Riemann
Rolle's theorem Differential calculus Michel Rolle
Saha ionization equation Plasma physics Meghnad Saha
Schrödinger equation Physics Erwin Schrödinger
Sérsic's law Astrophysics J. L. Sérsic
Snell's law Optics Willebrord van Roijen Snell
Sokolov–Ternov effect Particle Physics Arsenij Sokolov and Igor Ternov
Sommerfeld–Kossel displacement law Spectroscopy Arnold Sommerfeld and Walther Kossel
Stefan–Boltzmann law Thermodynamics Jožef Stefan and Ludwig Boltzmann
Stokes' law Fluid mechanics George Gabriel Stokes
Stoletov's law Photoelectric effect Aleksandr Stoletov
Tarski's undefinability theorem
Tarski's axioms
Mathematical logic, Geometry Alfred Tarski
Thales' theorem Geometry Thales
Titius–Bode law Astrophysics Johann Daniel Titius and Johann Elert Bode
Torricelli's law Physics Evangelista Torricelli
Umov effect Physics Nikolay Umov
Van der Waals equation Chemistry Johannes Diderik van der Waals
Vlasov equation Plasma physics Anatoly Vlasov
Von Neumann bicommutant theorem
Von Neumann entropy
von Neumann paradox
Von Neumann ergodic theorem
Von Neumann universe
Von Neumann neighborhood
Von Neumann's trace inequality
Mathematics, Quantum mechanics John von Neumann
Weinberg–Witten theorem Quantum Gravity Steven Weinberg and Edward Witten
Weyl character formula
Mathematics Hermann Weyl
Wien's law Physics Wilhelm Wien
Wiener–Khinchin theorem Mathematics Norbert Wiener and Aleksandr Khinchin
Young–Laplace equation Fluid dynamics Thomas Young and Pierre-Simon Laplace
Zipf's law Linguistics George Kingsley Zipf

Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, scientific, laws, named and/or people:

    My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.
    Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)

    Every morning I woke in dread, waiting for the day nurse to go on her rounds and announce from the list of names in her hand whether or not I was for shock treatment, the new and fashionable means of quieting people and of making them realize that orders are to be obeyed and floors are to be polished without anyone protesting and faces are to be made to be fixed into smiles and weeping is a crime.
    Janet Frame (b. 1924)

    The scientific mind is atrophied, and suffers under inherited cerebral weakness, when it comes in contact with the eternal woman—Astarte, Isis, Demeter, Aphrodite, and the last and greatest deity of all, the Virgin.
    Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)

    Our books of science, as they improve in accuracy, are in danger of losing the freshness and vigor and readiness to appreciate the real laws of Nature, which is a marked merit in the ofttimes false theories of the ancients.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name. How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this.
    Madonna [Madonna Louise Ciccione] (b. 1959)

    We do the same thing to parents that we do to children. We insist that they are some kind of categorical abstraction because they produced a child. They were people before that, and they’re still people in all other areas of their lives. But when it comes to the state of parenthood they are abruptly heir to a whole collection of virtues and feelings that are assigned to them with a fine arbitrary disregard for individuality.
    Leontine Young (20th century)