Ludwig was an Austrian physicist known for developing ‘statistical mechanics’, which connects how we experience a system (for example, how hot we think it is) to how it behaves on the smallest scales.

He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Vienna and then spent a number of years carrying out research at different universities in Germany and Austria before returning. Ludwig experienced mental illness with symptoms that would be diagnosed today as a bipolar disorder. Even with this challenge, he has made everlasting contributions to physics.