National Science Day

Why is in news? PM extends greetings to all scientists and innovators on National Science Day

In 1986, the Government of India, under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, designated February 28 as National Science Day to commemorate the announcement of the discovery of the “Raman Effect”.

This year’s edition is being celebrated under the theme of “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”, in light of India’s G20 presidency.

The National Science Day is celebrated with a view to spread the message about the significance of science and how it improves the daily lives of the common folk.

In addition its celebration also has the following objectives in mind - Display all activities, efforts and achievements in the field of science, To provide opportunity those citizens of India interested in science, To foster and encourage interest in science and technology.

The Raman Effect was the discovery which won physicist CV Raman his Nobel Prize in 1930.

It refers to the inelastic scattering of light by matter, resulting in a shift in the frequency of the scattered light.

In simpler words, it is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.

The Raman effect forms the basis for Raman spectroscopy which is used by chemists and physicists to gain information about materials.

Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.

C.V. Raman:

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born at Tiruchirappalli in Southern India on November 7th, 1888.

His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics so that from the first he was immersed in an academic atmosphere.

He entered Presidency College, Madras, in 1902, and in 1904 passed his B.A. examination, winning the first place and the gold medal in physics; in 1907 he gained his M.A. degree, obtaining the highest distinctions.

His earliest researches in optics and acoustics – the two fields of investigation to which he has dedicated his entire career – were carried out while he was a student.

In 1928, Raman discovered that when a stream of light passes through a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by the liquid is of a different colour.

The Raman Effect won scientist CV Raman the Nobel Prize for physics in 1930.