Adelaide and Cambridge
Bragg was born in Adelaide, where his father held a professorship. He studied mathematics at Adelaide before moving to Britain in 1909 and continuing at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1912 he began examining the X-ray diffraction observed in Laue’s experiments.
Reading structure from diffraction
He related the arrangement of atomic planes to the conditions under which X-rays produce strong reflected signals. The relationship among wavelength, angle and plane spacing allowed measurements to yield information about crystal structure.
Working with his father, he developed the method and helped present it in X-rays and Crystal Structure in 1915. They shared that year’s Nobel Prize when Lawrence was 25.
Research leadership and proteins
Bragg held posts at Manchester and the National Physical Laboratory before serving as Cavendish Professor from 1938 to 1953. At the Royal Institution he continued promoting X-ray studies of complex molecules, including proteins, extending methods first developed for simpler crystals.
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