Stokes , Sir George Gabriel

Stokes , Sir George Gabriel
(1819–1903) British mathematician and physicist
Stokes was born at Skreen (now in the Republic of Ireland) and studied at Cambridge, remaining there throughout his life. In 1849 he became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, but he found it necessary to supplement his slender income from this post by teaching at the Government School of Mines in London. He held his Cambridge chair until his death aged 84. He was the member of parliament for the university and among his many honors were a baronetcy conferred on him in 1889.
Stokes was equally interested in the theoretical and experimental sides of physics and did important work in a wide area of fields, including hydrodynamics, elasticity, and the diffraction of light. In hydrodynamics he derived the formula now known as Stokes's law, giving the force resisting motion of a spherical body through a viscous fluid. Among Stokes's other fields of study was fluorescence – one of his experimental discoveries was the transparency of quartz to ultraviolet light. He was also much interested in the then influential concept of the ether as an explanation of the propagation of light. Stokes became aware of some inherent difficulties with the concept, but rather than rejecting the whole idea of an ether he tried to explain these problems away by using work he had done on elastic solids, though naturally enough problems arose with his own ideas.
Stokes was perceptive in his views of other physicists' work. For example, he was among the first to appreciate the importance of the work of James Joule and to see the true meaning of the spectral lines discovered by Joseph von Fraunhofer.

Scientists. . 2011.

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  • Stokes, Sir George Gabriel, 1st Baronet — ▪ British mathematician and physicist born Aug. 13, 1819, Skreen, County Sligo, Ire. died Feb. 1, 1903, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Eng.       British physicist and mathematician noted for his studies of the behaviour of viscous fluids,… …   Universalium

  • Stokes, sir George Gabriel — ► (1819 1903) Matemático y físico británico. Investigó sobre el movimiento de los fluidos viscosos y formuló su ley de viscosidad. Descubrió la fluorescencia y la polarización de la luz …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • STOKES, SIR GEORGE GABRIEL —    mathematician and physicist, born in Skreen, co. Sligo; he is great in the department of mathematical physics, and has been specially devoted to the study of hydro dynamics and the theory of light; has opened new fields of investigation, and… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • George Gabriel Stokes — Sir George Gabriel Stokes (* 13. August 1819 in Skreen, County Sligo; † 1. Februar 1903 in Cambridge) war ein irischer Mathematiker und Physiker. Stokes studierte ab 1837 an der Universität Cambridge, graduierte 1841 und wurde dort 1849… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • George Gabriel Stokes — George Stokes Sir George Gabriel Stokes, basado en foto de Fradelle y Young. Nacimiento 13 de agosto de 1819 Skreen, Condado de Sligo, Irlanda …   Wikipedia Español

  • George Gabriel Stokes — Infobox Scientist box width = 300px name = George Stokes image size = 220px caption = Sir George Gabriel Stokes, 1st Baronet (1819–1903) birth date = birth date|1819|8|13|df=y birth place = Skreen, County Sligo, Ireland death date = death date… …   Wikipedia

  • George Stokes — George Gabriel Stokes Sir George Gabriel Stokes (* 13. August 1819 in Skreen, County Sligo; † 1. Februar 1903 in Cambridge) war ein irischer Mathematiker und Physiker. Stokes studierte ab 1837 an der Universität Cambridge, graduierte 1841 und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • stokes — [ stɔks ] n. m. • 1953; nom d un physicien ♦ Métrol. Ancienne unité C. G. S. de mesure de la viscosité cinématique (symb.St) équivalant à 10 4 mètre carré par seconde. Stokes (sir George Gabriel) (1819 1903) physicien anglais: études sur la… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • STOKES (G. G.) — STOKES sir GEORGE GABRIEL (1819 1903) Physicien et mathématicien britannique né à Skreen et mort à Cambridge. Nommé professeur de mathématiques à l’université de Cambridge en 1849, George Gabriel Stokes fut élu en 1851 à la Royal Society, où il… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Stokes — Stokes, William Stokes, ley de Stokes, sir George Gabriel …   Enciclopedia Universal

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