James Thomson Bottomley (10 January 1845 – 18 May 1926) was an Irish-born

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

. He is noted for his work on thermal radiation and on his creation of 4-figure

logarithm In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. That means the logarithm of a number to the base is the exponent to which must be raised, to produce . For example, since , the ''logarithm base'' 10 of ...

tables, used to convert long multiplication and division calculations to simpler addition and subtraction before the introduction of fast calculators.

Background

He was born in Fort Breda, County Down in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, on 10 January 1845, the son of William Bottomley JP, a merchant in nearby

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. His mother, Anna Thomson, was the sister of

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, (26 June 182417 December 1907) was a British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow for 53 years, he did important ...

, a connection which served him well throughout his life. He was educated at Queens College, Belfast and then Trinity College, Dublin, originally studying natural philosophy and chemistry.

Career

His first employment was as assistant to scientist

Thomas Andrews Thomas Andrews Jr. (7 February 1873 – 15 April 1912) was a British businessman and shipbuilder. He was managing director and head of the drafting department of the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. He was the nava ...

. He then became a Demonstrator at King's College London, first in chemistry and then in physics. In 1870 he became a Demonstrator in Physics at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. In 1875 this was retitled the Arnott and Thomson Demonstrator in Experimental Physics, following a bequest from the widow of

Neil Arnott Dr Neil Arnott FRS LLD (15 May 1788March 1874) was a Scottish physician and inventor. He was the inventor of one of the first forms of the waterbed, the Arnott waterbed, and was awarded the Rumford Medal in 1852 for the construction of th ...

. In 1872 his uncle

Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, (26 June 182417 December 1907) was a British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow for 53 years, he did important ...

proposed him as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and this was duly accepted. In June 1888 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. On 5 February 1896 Bottomley was involved in the first demonstration of x-rays in Scotland. His uncle,

, had received papers from Rontgen, but being ill passed them to his nephew, Bottomley, to deal with, also passing special equipment needed for the demonstration. Bottomley engaged Dr John Macintyre an electrical expert at Glasgow Royal Infirmary to make the demonstration. In 1899, again with his uncle, the Glasgow engineering firm of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird (K.B.B) was formed, specialising in gauges and meters but also producing loudspeakers and telephones. He became its chairman in 1908. In 1913 it became a Limited Company. He lived at 13 University Gardens, Glasgow, in this period.Glasgow Post Office Directory 1911-12 He died in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 18 May 1926. His grave stands close to the summit of the

Western Necropolis Western Necropolis is a cemetery complex in Glasgow, Scotland located to the north of the city centre. As well as the actual Western Necropolis cemetery established in 1882, it is bordered by Lambhill Cemetery which opened in 1881, St Kentigern's ...

in Glasgow. The company of Kelvin, Bottomley and Baird continued until 1947.

Family

He married twice: firstly to Annie Elizabeth Heap of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

; secondly to Eliza Jennet Blandy, daughter of Charles R Blandy of Madeira.

and James Thomson were his uncles.

Publications

* ''Dynamics: Theoretical Mechanics.'' 1877 * ''On radiation from dull and bright surfaces.'' London 1887 * ''On Thermal Radiation in Absolute Measure.'' 1888 * ''Four figure mathematical tables: comprising logarithmic and trigonometrical tables, and tables of squares, square roots, and reciprocals.''

References

External links

Royal Society Picture Library , Portrait of James Thomson Bottomley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bottomley, James Thomson 1845 births 1926 deaths Scientists from Belfast British physicists Fellows of the Royal Society Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society