From mathematics to experimental physics
Bragg studied mathematics at Cambridge and spent time at the Cavendish Laboratory before becoming a professor in Adelaide in 1886. His interests expanded into radioactivity and the passage of radiation through matter. He returned to Britain in 1909 to work at Leeds.
Crystal analysis with Lawrence Bragg
Following the discovery of X-ray diffraction by Laue and his collaborators, the Braggs investigated how diffraction could reveal the arrangement of matter within crystals. The father’s experimental work complemented his son’s interpretation of the relation between wavelength, angle and atomic-plane spacing.
Their work made X-rays a tool for structural analysis and earned the joint 1915 Nobel Prize. William Henry was the father; William Lawrence was the son.
Institutions and public science
Bragg subsequently worked at University College London and the Royal Institution. During the First World War he directed research on underwater sound for submarine detection. He later served as President of the Royal Society and wrote books about sound, light and the structure of matter.
References: [1]