Sir Robert Stawell Ball (1 July 1840 – 25 November 1913) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
who founded the
screw theory
Screw theory is the algebraic calculation of pairs of vectors, such as forces and moments or angular and linear velocity, that arise in the kinematics and dynamics of rigid bodies. The mathematical framework was developed by Sir Robert Stawe ...
. He was
Royal Astronomer of Ireland
The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink in the outskirts of the city of Dublin, Ireland. Alexander Thom''Irish Almanac and Official Directory''7th ed., 1850 p. 258. Retrieved: 2011-02 ...
at
Dunsink Observatory
The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink in the outskirts of the city of Dublin, Ireland.Alexander Thom''Irish Almanac and Official Directory''7th ed., 1850 p. 258. Retrieved: 2011-02-2 ...
.
Life
He was the son of naturalist
Robert Ball,
and Amelia Gresley Hellicar. He was born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. and was educated at
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
where he won a scholarship in 1859 and was a senior moderator in both ''mathematics'' and ''experimental and natural science'' in 1861.
Ball worked for
Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867, he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. There he lectured on
mechanics
Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to object ...
and published an elementary account of the science.
In 1873, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1874, he was appointed
Royal Astronomer of Ireland
The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink in the outskirts of the city of Dublin, Ireland. Alexander Thom''Irish Almanac and Official Directory''7th ed., 1850 p. 258. Retrieved: 2011-02 ...
and
Andrews Professor of Astronomy
The Andrews Professor of Astronomy is a chair in astronomy in Trinity College Dublin was established in 1783 in conjunction with the establishment of Dunsink Observatory.
Dunsink was founded in 1785 following a bequest by Provost Francis Andre ...
in the
University of Dublin at
Dunsink Observatory
The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink in the outskirts of the city of Dublin, Ireland.Alexander Thom''Irish Almanac and Official Directory''7th ed., 1850 p. 258. Retrieved: 2011-02-2 ...
.
Ball contributed to the science of
kinematics by delineating the
screw displacement
A screw axis (helical axis or twist axis) is a line that is simultaneously the axis of rotation and the line along which translation of a body occurs. Chasles' theorem shows that each Euclidean displacement in three-dimensional space has a screw ...
:
:When Ball and the screw theorists speak of screws they no longer mean actual cylindrical objects with helical threads cut into them but the possible motion of any body whatsoever, including that of the screw independently of the nut.
Ball's treatise ''The Theory of Screws'' (1876) is now in the public domain.
His work on screw dynamics earned him in 1879 the
Cunningham Medal
The Cunningham Medal is the premier award of the Royal Irish Academy. It is awarded every three years in recognition of "outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy".
History
It was which was established in 1796 at ...
of the
Royal Irish Academy.
In 1882, ''
Popular Science Monthly
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
'' carried his article "A Glimpse through the Corridors of Time". The following year it carried his two-part article on "The Boundaries of Astronomy". He was knighted in 1886.
Ball expounded the
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ...
s in ''Time and Tide: a Romance of the Moon'' (1889). He published in 1891 ''The Cause of an Ice Age'' and in 1892 ''An Atlas of Astronomy''.
In 1892, he was appointed
Lowndean Professor of Astronomy and Geometry
The Lowndean chair of Astronomy and Geometry is one of the two major Professorships in Astronomy (alongside the Plumian Professorship) and a major Professorship in Mathematics at Cambridge University. It was founded in 1749 by Thomas Lowndes, an ...
at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
at the same time becoming director of the
Cambridge Observatory. He was a fellow of
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
.
In 1900,
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 ...
published ''A Treatise on the Theory of Screws''. It followed works meant for a more general audience, such as ''The Story of the Heavens'', first published in 1886. Much in the limelight, he stood as President of the
Quaternion Society
The Quaternion Society was a scientific society, self-described as an "International Association for Promoting the Study of Quaternions and Allied Systems of Mathematics". At its peak it consisted of about 60 mathematicians spread throughout the ac ...
. He was also President of the
Mathematical Association
The Mathematical Association is a professional society concerned with mathematics education in the UK.
History
It was founded in 1871 as the Association for the Improvement of Geometrical Teaching and renamed to the Mathematical Association in ...
in 1900.
In 1908, he published ''A Treatise on Spherical Astronomy'', which is a textbook on
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
starting from
spherical trigonometry
Spherical trigonometry is the branch of spherical geometry that deals with the metrical relationships between the sides and angles of spherical triangles, traditionally expressed using trigonometric functions. On the sphere, geodesics are grea ...
and the
celestial sphere, considering
atmospheric refraction
Atmospheric refraction is the deviation of light or other electromagnetic wave from a straight line as it passes through the atmosphere due to the variation in air density as a function of height. This refraction is due to the velocity of ligh ...
and
aberration of light
In astronomy, aberration (also referred to as astronomical aberration, stellar aberration, or velocity aberration) is a phenomenon which produces an apparent motion of celestial objects about their true positions, dependent on the velocity of t ...
, and introducing basic use of a
generalised instrument.
His work, ''The Story of the Heavens'', is mentioned in the "Ithaca" chapter of
Ulysses.
His lectures, articles and books (e.g. ''Starland'' and ''The Story of the Heavens'') were mostly popular and simple in style.
Death
He died in Cambridge and was buried at the
Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge, with his wife, Lady Francis Elizabeth Ball.
Their children were: Frances Amelia, Robert Steele, William Valentine (later Sir), Mary Agnetta, Charles Rowan Hamilton, and Randall Gresley (later Colonel). ''Reminiscences and Letters of Sir Robert Ball'' by his son W.V. Ball was published in 1915 by Cassell & Company.
Minor planet
4809 Robertball is named in his honor.
He was the 38th President of the
Birmingham and Midland Institute
The Birmingham and Midland Institute (popularly known as the Midland Institute) (), is an institution concerned with the promotion of education and learning in Birmingham, England. It is now based on Margaret Street in Birmingham city centre. It ...
, which holds The Sir Robert Ball Library, the library of
The Society for the History of Astronomy.
Lectures
Ball became celebrated for his popular lectures on science. He gave an estimated 2500 lectures between 1875 and 1910 in towns and cities across Britain and Ireland.
In 1881, 1887, 1892, 1898 and 1900 he was invited to deliver the
Royal Institution Christmas Lecture, ''Astronomy''; ''Astronomy'' and ''Great Chapters from the Book of Nature''. During the Lent term of 1900, he gave a lecture entitled ''The Eternal Stars'' to the Junior School section of
Monkton Combe School in Combe Down, which was reported in the school magazine, The Magpie, 2 March 1900.
[The Magpie Magazine, Vol 1, No 2, March 1900, Monkton Combe Junior School]
Arms
References
External links
*
*
*
* G.L. Herries-Davie
Sir R.S. Ballfrom
Trinity College, Dublin
Discoveries klima-luft.de. Accessed 19 December 2022.
Sir Robert Ball Library societyforthehistoryofastronomy.com. Accessed 19 December 2022.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Robert Stawell
1840 births
1913 deaths
Academics of Trinity College Dublin
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Directors of Dunsink Observatory
Fellows of the Royal Society
Knights Bachelor
Irish astronomers
Lowndean Professors of Astronomy and Geometry
Scientists from Dublin (city)
Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society
Scholars of Trinity College Dublin