David Bohr, Niels Henrik
The Dane Niels Henrik David Bohr (1885 - 1962), son to a professor of physiology, was a theoretical physicist.
He developed the Bohr model of the atom, in which the energy levels of electrons are discrete. Electrons revolve in stable orbits around the atomic nucleus but can jump from one orbit to another. It replaced the previous models of Ernest Rutherford and Joseph John Thomson.
He conceived the principle of complementarity: items can be separately analysed in terms of contradictory properties, like behaving as a wave or as a stream of particles.
The chemical element 107 bohrium (Bh) is named in his honour.
See also
Last modified:10 January 2026 12.17 p.m.