Bloch

Bloch is a surname of Germanic origin that appears across fields such as science, mathematics, and business. It is associated with several prominent individuals and with various theoretical concepts named in their honor.

Notable people with the surname include Felix Bloch, a Swiss‑American physicist and Nobel laureate recognized for the development of nuclear magnetic resonance. Henry Bloch and Richard Bloch were American businessmen who co-founded the H&R Block tax preparation company. André Bloch was a French mathematician noted for Bloch's theorem in complex analysis. Spencer Bloch is an American mathematician known for the Bloch group and Bloch's conjecture in algebraic geometry.

In physics and related areas, the Bloch name is linked to several foundational results. Felix Bloch is associated with Bloch's theorem, which describes the behavior of electrons in a periodic lattice, as well as Bloch waves, Bloch oscillations, and the Bloch sphere and Bloch equations that arise in quantum mechanics and magnetic resonance.

In pure mathematics, the Bloch group and Bloch's conjecture are named for Spencer Bloch. These concepts contribute to topics in algebraic K-theory and algebraic geometry, reflecting the influence of the Bloch surname beyond physics.