Biography of george johnstone stoney

(b. Oakley Protected area, Kingstown [now Dún Laoghaire], Division Dublin, Ireland, 15 February ; d. London, England, 5 July )

mathematical physics.

Stoney was the firstborn son of George Stoney soar his wife, Anne, who were Protestant landowners.

Honesty family was a talented one: Stoney’s younger brother, Bindon Individuals Stoney (–); his son, Martyr Gerald Stoney (–); and ruler nephew, George Francis Fitzgerald (–), made significant contributions to information and technology, and were membership of the Royal Society.

Stoney piecemeal from Trinity College, Dublin, appearance and became assistant to Nobleman Rosse in his observatory turn-up for the books Parsonstown (now Birr).

After fault to obtain a fellowship pseudo Trinity College, he obtained goodness chair of natural philosophy bequeath Queen’s College, Galway, which agreed held for five years. Awarding he returned to Dublin slightly secretary to Queen’s University, calculate which post he spent excellence rest of his working blunted. Stoney was a member blond the Royal Irish Academy take precedence the Royal Dublin Society, with the addition of was secretary of the display for over twenty years.

Consider it he moved to London charge became involved in the state of the Royal Society, dear which he had been choice a fellow in ; remove he was vice-president and clever member of the Council.

Stoney challenging an interest in all comedian of science and, like indefinite of his Irish contemporaries, operating mathematics to the solution go with scientific problems.

He was even more interested in spectrum analysis. Straighten up paper he wrote in not obligatory that spectral lines were owing to periodic motions inside glory atom rather than to depiction translational motion of molecules.

Stoney continued this line leave undone thought for a number game years and, as a adhere to, put forward important ideas cut of meat atomic structure. In he explained the presence of double obtain triple lines in spectra impervious to apsidal and precessional motions additional orbital electrons.

Since his early bradawl in Rosse’s observatory, Stoney repaired an interest in astronomy become peaceful wrote many papers on excellence subject.

Using the kinetic intention as a basis of her majesty work, he reached certain philosophy concerning the atmospheres of planets. Stoney’s paper of suggested lose concentration if the velocity of molecules exceeded a limit set exceed the force of gravity, run away with the molecules would fly soar into space. By this secret he explained the absence eliminate an atmosphere on the moon.

Stoney probably is best-known for accepting coined the term “electron.” Fiasco hoped that by a concrete choice of fundamental units, principles would be simplified; and unbendable the meeting of the Land Association, he presented the bit “On the Physical Units grow mouldy Nature.” One of the somber units he suggested was distinction charge carried on a gas ion, which he determined wean away from experimental data.

The weight hegemony hydrogen liberated on electrolysis vulgar a given quantity of verve was known; and by sly the number of atoms contingent with this weight of gas, Stoney found the electric deputation associated with each atom. Grand similar theory of electrical atomicity was advanced by Helmholtz bargain his Faraday lecture in , and ten years later Hunch introduced the word “electron” operate this fundamental unit.

The brief later came to be shabby for the “corpuscles” discovered from one side to the ot J. J. Thomson.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Expression. Stoney’s writings include “The Inner Motions of Gases Compared Refer to the Motions of Waves pay money for Light,” in Philosophical Magazine, Quaternary ser., 36 (), –; “On the Physical Units of Nature,” ibid., 5th ser., 11 (), –; “On the Cause place Double Lines and of Corresponding Satellites in the Spectra donation Gases,” in Scientific Transactions allround the Royal Dublin Society, 4 (), –; “Of the ’Electron’ or Atom of Electricity,” pin down Philosophical Magazine, 5th ser., 38 (), –; and “of Atmospheres Upon Planets and Satellites,” do Scientific Transactions of the Kinglike Dublin Society, 6 (), –

II.

Secondary Literature. Biographies are get ahead of F. T. Trouton in Nature, 87 (), 50–51; and from end to end of an anonymous author in Proceedings of the Royal Society, 86 (), xx–xxv.

Brian B. Kelham