# Johannes Diderik van der Waals

> He began as a schoolteacher and ended up rewriting the physics of matter itself. Van der Waals proved molecules were real when most scientists still doubted it, then built an equation that let researchers finally turn gases like helium into liquids — and accidentally opened the door to superconductivity.

*Dutch physicist (1837–1923)*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/johannes-diderik-van-der-waals

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Scientist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q39631))
- **Category:** Scientists
- **Country:** Netherlands
- **Born:** 1837-11-23
- **Died:** 1923-03-08
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

Johannes Diderik van der Waals was a Dutch theoretical physicist born 23 November 1837, who started his career teaching school before becoming the first physics professor at the University of Amsterdam in 1877. In his 1873 thesis, he tackled the problem of real gases behaving differently than ideal theory predicted, introducing an equation of state that accounted for the finite volume of molecules and the forces between them — at a time when many physicists, led by Ernst Mach and Wilhelm Ostwald, denied molecules even existed. His equation revolutionized the field: it affirmed the reality of molecules, allowed scientists to estimate their size and attraction, and gave them the tools to predict the critical points at which gases liquify. That work enabled the liquefaction of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium — Heike Kamerlingh Onnes used van der Waals's insights to make liquid helium in 1908, which led directly to the 1911 discovery of superconductivity. Van der Waals received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1910 and died 8 March 1923, his name now attached to the forces, molecules, and radius that define molecular science.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 64.8 / 100
- **Momentum:** 0.3 / 100  (trend: FALLING)
- **Historical depth:** 23.5 / 100
- **Now attention:** 1.0 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100
- **Country rank:** #103
- **Category rank:** #177

## Topics
#Scientists, #Scientist, #Physics, #Chemistry, #Mathematics, #19th Century

## Sources
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131721)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Johannes%20Diderik%20van%20der%20Waals)
- [يوهانس ديديريك فان دير فالس](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3_%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83_%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3)
- [يوهانس ديديريك فان دير فالس](https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3_%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83_%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3)
- [Johannes van der Waals](https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes van der Waals](https://ay.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_van_der_Waals)
- [یوهان دیدریک وان در والس](https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9_%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AF%D8%B1_%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3)
- [Yan Van-der-Vaals](https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Van-der-Vaals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://ban.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Ян Дыдэрык Ван-дэр-Ваальс](https://be_x_old.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%AF%D0%BD_%D0%94%D1%8B%D0%B4%D1%8D%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BA_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%BD-%D0%B4%D1%8D%D1%80-%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81)
- [Ян Дыдэрык Ван-дэр-Ваальс](https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%AF%D0%BD_%D0%94%D1%8B%D0%B4%D1%8D%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BA_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%BD-%D0%B4%D1%8D%D1%80-%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81)
- [Йоханес ван дер Ваалс](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%99%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81_%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%81)
- [জোহানেস ডিডেরিক ভ্যান ডার ওয়ালস](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B8_%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A1%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95_%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8_%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0_%E0%A6%93%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%B8)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [یۆھانس دیدێریک ڤان دێر ڤالس](https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DB%8C%DB%86%DA%BE%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3_%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8E%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9_%DA%A4%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AF%DB%8E%D8%B1_%DA%A4%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Γιοχάννες φαν ντερ Βάαλς](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%93%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%87%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%82_%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%BD_%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%81_%CE%92%CE%AC%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%82)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes van der Waals](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Wikiquote](https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Wikiquote](https://sr.wikiquote.org/wiki/%D0%88%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81_%D0%94%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA_%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%81)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://an.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals)

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