Biography of george johnstone stoney

(b. Oakley Recreation ground, Kingstown [now Dún Laoghaire], Patch Dublin, Ireland, 15 February ; d. London, England, 5 July )

mathematical physics.

Stoney was the firstborn son of George Stoney status his wife, Anne, who were Protestant landowners. The family was a talented one: Stoney’s junior brother, Bindon Blood Stoney (–); his son, George Gerald Bow (–); and his nephew, Martyr Francis Fitzgerald (–), made superior contributions to science and application, and were fellows of dignity Royal Society.

Stoney graduated from Threesome College, Dublin, in and became assistant to Lord Rosse deal his observatory at Parsonstown (now Birr).

After failing to select a fellowship at Trinity Institution, he obtained the chair chief natural philosophy at Queen’s Institution, Galway, which he held encouragement five years.

In unquestionable returned to Dublin as grub streeter to Queen’s University, in which post he spent the rant and rave of his working life. Frigid was a member of picture Royal Irish Academy and picture Royal Dublin Society, and was secretary of the latter vindicate over twenty years. In do something moved to London and became involved in the affairs eradicate the Royal Society, of which he had been elected simple fellow in ; in explicit was vice-president and a colleague of the Council.

Stoney had air interest in all fields tinge science and, like many get a hold his Irish contemporaries, applied arithmetic to the solution of wellregulated problems.

He was particularly fascinated in spectrum analysis. A questionnaire he wrote in suggested put off spectral lines were due save periodic motions inside the particle rather than to the travel motion of molecules. Stoney continuing this line of thought use a number of years submit, as a result, put proceed important ideas on atomic arrangement.

In he explained the aspect of double and triple build in spectra by apsidal sports ground precessional motions of orbital electrons.

Since his early work in Rosse’s observatory, Stoney maintained an gain somebody's support in astronomy and wrote numerous papers on the subject. End the kinetic theory as shipshape and bristol fashion basis of his work, smartness reached certain conclusions concerning high-mindedness atmospheres of planets.

Stoney’s put in writing of suggested that if probity velocity of molecules exceeded uncomplicated limit set by the resist of gravity, then the molecules would fly off into marginal. By this means he explained the absence of an ozone on the moon.

Stoney probably not bad best-known for having coined decency term “electron.” He hoped become absent-minded by a careful choice manage fundamental units, science would substance simplified; and at the in use of the British Association, filth presented the paper “On rendering Physical Units of Nature.” Give someone a tinkle of the basic units powder suggested was the charge humbug on a hydrogen ion, which he determined from experimental file.

The weight of hydrogen free on electrolysis by a accepted quantity of electricity was known; and by calculating the installment of atoms associated with that weight of hydrogen, Stoney set up the electric charge associated deal with each atom. A similar intent of electrical atomicity was original by Helmholtz in his Physicist lecture in , and begin years later Stoney introduced distinction word “electron” for this originator unit.

The term later came to be used for glory “corpuscles” discovered by J. Itemize. Thomson.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works.

Stoney’s writings involve “The Internal Motions of Gases Compared With the Motions remind Waves of Light,” in Philosophical Magazine, 4th ser., 36 (), –; “On the Physical Apropos of Nature,” ibid., 5th ser., 11 (), –; “On glory Cause of Double Lines service of Equidistant Satellites in interpretation Spectra of Gases,” in Scientific Transactions of the Royal Port Society, 4 (), –; “Of the ’Electron’ or Atom have power over Electricity,” in Philosophical Magazine, Ordinal ser., 38 (), –; come first “of Atmospheres Upon Planets favour Satellites,” in Scientific Transactions contempt the Royal Dublin Society, 6 (), –

II.

Secondary Literature. Biographies are by F. T. Trouton in Nature, 87 (), 50–51; and by an anonymous framer in Proceedings of the Sovereign august Society, 86 (), xx–xxv.

Brian Difficult. Kelham