John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, (; 12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919) was an English mathematician and physicist who made extensive contributions to
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
. He spent all of his academic career at the
University of Cambridge. Among many honors, he received the 1904
Nobel Prize in Physics "for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery of
argon in connection with these studies." He served as president of the
Royal Society from 1905 to 1908 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1908 to 1919.
Rayleigh provided the first theoretical treatment of the elastic scattering of light by particles much smaller than the light's wavelength, a phenomenon now known as "
Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering ( ), named after the 19th-century British physicist Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt), is the predominantly elastic scattering of light or other electromagnetic radiation by particles much smaller than the wavelength of th ...
", which notably explains why the sky is blue. He studied and described transverse
surface waves in solids, now known as "
Rayleigh wave
Rayleigh waves are a type of surface acoustic wave that travel along the surface of solids. They can be produced in materials in many ways, such as by a localized impact or by piezo-electric transduction, and are frequently used in non-destructi ...
s". He contributed extensively to
fluid dynamics, with concepts such as the
Rayleigh number (a
dimensionless number
A dimensionless quantity (also known as a bare quantity, pure quantity, or scalar quantity as well as quantity of dimension one) is a quantity to which no physical dimension is assigned, with a corresponding SI unit of measurement of one (or 1) ...
associated with
natural convection
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...
),
Rayleigh flow, the
Rayleigh–Taylor instability
The Rayleigh–Taylor instability, or RT instability (after Lord Rayleigh and G. I. Taylor), is an instability of an interface between two fluids of different densities which occurs when the lighter fluid is pushing the heavier fluid.
Drazin ( ...
, and Rayleigh's criterion for the stability of
Taylor–Couette flow
In fluid dynamics, the Taylor–Couette flow consists of a viscous fluid confined in the gap between two rotating cylinders. For low angular velocities, measured by the Reynolds number ''Re'', the flow is steady and purely azimuthal. This basic s ...
. He also formulated the circulation theory of
aerodynamic lift
A fluid flowing around an object exerts a force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the force parallel to the flow direc ...
. In
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultrav ...
, Rayleigh proposed a well-known criterion for
angular resolution. His derivation of the
Rayleigh–Jeans law
In physics, the Rayleigh–Jeans law is an approximation to the spectral radiance of electromagnetic radiation as a function of wavelength from a black body at a given temperature through classical arguments. For wavelength λ, it is:
B_ (T) = \ ...
for classical black-body radiation later played an important role in the birth of
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistr ...
(see
Ultraviolet catastrophe
The ultraviolet catastrophe, also called the Rayleigh–Jeans catastrophe, was the prediction of late 19th century/early 20th century classical physics that an ideal black body at thermal equilibrium would emit an unbounded quantity of energy ...
). Rayleigh's textbook ''The Theory of Sound'' (1877) is still used today by
acousticians and engineers.
Biography
Strutt was born on 12 November 1842 at Langford Grove in
Maldon, Essex. In his early years he suffered from frailty and poor health. He attended
Eton College and
Harrow School (each for only a short period),
[ before going on to the University of Cambridge in 1861 where he studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree (]Senior Wrangler
The Senior Frog Wrangler is the top mathematics undergraduate at the University of Cambridge in England, a position which has been described as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain."
Specifically, it is the person who a ...
and 1st Smith's Prize) in 1865, and a Master of Arts in 1868. He was subsequently elected to a fellowship of Trinity. He held the post until his marriage to Evelyn Balfour, daughter of James Maitland Balfour
James Maitland Balfour (5 January 1820 – 23 February 1856) was a Scottish land-owner and businessman. He made a fortune in the 19th-century railway boom, and inherited a significant portion of his father's great wealth.
He was a Conservative ...
, in 1871. He had three sons with her.[One son, Robert Strutt, 4th Baron Rayleigh, was also an eminent physicist and fellow of the Royal Society.
] In 1873, on the death of his father, John Strutt, 2nd Baron Rayleigh, he inherited the Barony of Rayleigh.
He was the second Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge (following James Clerk Maxwell), from 1879 to 1884. He first described dynamic soaring by seabirds
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same envi ...
in 1883, in the British journal '' Nature''. From 1887 to 1905 he was professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution.
Around the year 1900 Rayleigh developed the ''duplex'' (combination of two) theory of human sound localisation using two binaural cues, interaural phase difference (IPD) and interaural level difference
Sound localization is a listener's ability to identify the location or origin of a detected sound in direction and distance.
The sound localization mechanisms of the mammalian auditory system have been extensively studied. The auditory system us ...
(ILD) (based on analysis of a spherical head with no external pinnae
The auricle or auricula is the visible part of the ear that is outside the head. It is also called the pinna (Latin for "wing" or " fin", plural pinnae), a term that is used more in zoology.
Structure
The diagram shows the shape and location ...
). The theory posits that we use two primary cues for sound lateralisation, using the difference in the phases of sinusoidal components of the sound and the difference in amplitude (level) between the two ears.
In 1904 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
"for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery of argon in connection with these studies".
During the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he was president of the government's Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which was located at the National Physical Laboratory, and chaired by Richard Glazebrook
Sir Richard Tetley Glazebrook (18 September 1854 – 15 December 1935) was an English physicist.
Education and early career
Glazebrook was born in West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of a surgeon. He was educated at Dulwich College unt ...
.
In 1919, Rayleigh served as president of the Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to co ...
. As an advocate that simplicity and theory be part of the scientific method, Rayleigh argued for the principle of similitude The principle of similitude is a supplement to the scientific method advocated by Lord Rayleigh, John Strutt (Lord Rayleigh) (1842–1919) that requires that any suggested scientific law be examined for its relationship to similar laws.
The princi ...
.
Rayleigh was elected fellow of the Royal Society on 12 June 1873, and served as president of the Royal Society from 1905 to 1908. From time to time he participated in the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
; however, he spoke up only if politics attempted to become involved in science.
Many of the papers that he wrote on lubrication are now recognized as early classical contributions to the field of tribology. For these contributions, he was named as one of the 23 "Men of Tribology" by Duncan Dowson
Duncan Dowson (31 August 1928 – 6 January 2020) was a British engineer and Professor of Engineering Fluid Mechanics and Tribology at the University of Leeds.
Biography
Dowson's father, Wilfrid Dowson, was an ornamental blacksmith, and as ...
.
He died on 30 June 1919, at his home in Witham
Witham () is a town in the county of Essex in the East of England, with a population ( 2011 census) of 25,353. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the city of Che ...
, Essex.[ He was succeeded, as the 4th Lord Rayleigh, by his son Robert John Strutt, another well-known physicist. Lord Rayleigh was buried in the graveyard of All Saints' Church in ]Terling
Terling (pronounced Tar-ling) is a village and civil parish in the county of Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, th ...
in Essex. There is a memorial to him by Derwent Wood in St Andrew's Chapel at Westminster Abbey.
Religious views
Rayleigh was an Anglican. Though he did not write about the relationship of science and religion, he retained a personal interest in spiritual matters. When his scientific papers were to be published in a collection by the Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pre ...
, Strutt wanted to include a religious quotation from the Bible, but he was discouraged from doing so, as he later reported:
Still, he had his wish and the quotation was printed in the five-volume collection of scientific papers. In a letter to a family member, he wrote about his rejection of materialism and spoke of Jesus Christ as a moral teacher:
He held an interest in parapsychology and was an early member of the Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to co ...
(SPR). He was not convinced of spiritualism
Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (w ...
but remained open to the possibility of supernatural phenomena. Rayleigh was the president of the SPR in 1919. He gave a presidential address in the year of his death but did not come to any definite conclusions.
Honours and awards
The lunar crater '' Rayleigh'' as well as the Martian crater '' Rayleigh'' were named in his honour. The asteroid 22740 Rayleigh
22740 Rayleigh, provisional designation , is a Zhongguo asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 20 September 1998, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at the La Silla Observatory in Ch ...
was named after him on 1 June 2007. A type of surface waves are known as Rayleigh wave
Rayleigh waves are a type of surface acoustic wave that travel along the surface of solids. They can be produced in materials in many ways, such as by a localized impact or by piezo-electric transduction, and are frequently used in non-destructi ...
s. The rayl, a unit of specific acoustic impedance, is also named for him. Rayleigh was also awarded with (in chronological order):
* Smith's Prize (1864)
* Royal Medal (1882)
*Member of the American Philosophical Society (1886)
* Matteucci Medal The Matteucci Medal is an Italian award for physicists, named after Carlo Matteucci from Forlì. It was established to award physicists for their fundamental contributions. Under an Italian Royal Decree dated July 10, 1870, the Italian Society ...
(1894)
* Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1897)
* Copley Medal (1899)
* Nobel Prize in Physics (1904)
* Elliott Cresson Medal (1913)
* Rumford Medal (1914)
Lord Rayleigh was among the original recipients of the Order of Merit (OM) in the 1902 Coronation Honours
The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...
list published on 26 June 1902, and received the order from King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 8 August 1902.
He received the degree of ''Doctor mathematicae ( honoris causa)'' from the Royal Frederick University
The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...
on 6 September 1902, when they celebrated the centennial of the birth of mathematician Niels Henrik Abel
Niels Henrik Abel ( , ; 5 August 1802 – 6 April 1829) was a Norwegian mathematician who made pioneering contributions in a variety of fields. His most famous single result is the first complete proof demonstrating the impossibility of solvin ...
.[ ''(in Norwegian)'']
Sir William Ramsay
Sir William Ramsay (; 2 October 1852 – 23 July 1916) was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous element ...
, his co-worker in the investigation to discover argon described Rayleigh as "the greatest man alive" while speaking to Lady Ramsay during his last illness.
H. M. Hyndman said of Rayleigh that "no man ever showed less consciousness of great genius".
Bibliography
*
The Theory of Sound vol. I
' (London : Macmillan, 1877, 1894) (alternative link
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
OR (Cambridge: University Press, reissued 2011, )
*
The Theory of Sound vol.II
' (London : Macmillan, 1878, 1896) (alternative link
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
OR (Cambridge: University Press, reissued 2011, )
*
Scientific papers (Vol. 1: 1869–1881)
' (Cambridge : University Press, 1899–1920, reissued by the publisher 2011, )
*
Scientific papers (Vol. 2: 1881–1887)
'[ (Cambridge : University Press, 1899–1920, reissued by the publisher 2011, )
* ]
Scientific papers (Vol. 3: 1887–1892)
'[ (Cambridge : University Press, 1899–1920, reissued by the publisher 2011, )
* ]
Scientific papers (Vol. 4: 1892–1901)
'[ (Cambridge : University Press, 1899–1920, reissued by the publisher 2011, )
* ]
Scientific papers (Vol. 5: 1902–1910)
' (Cambridge : University Press, 1899–1920, reissued by the publisher 2011, )
*
Scientific papers (Vol. 6: 1911–1919)
' (Cambridge : University Press, 1899–1920, reissued by the publisher 2011, )
See also
References
External links
*
*
*
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