Andrew Soward facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew Soward
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| Born | 20 October 1943 |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA, PhD) |
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Andrew Michael Soward (born October 20, 1943) is a British scientist. He studies how fluids, like liquids and gases, move. He is especially known for his work on how these fluids interact with magnetic fields. Professor Soward is now a retired professor at the University of Exeter.
Education
Andrew Soward went to Queens' College, Cambridge for his university studies. He earned his PhD degree in 1969. His main teacher and guide during his PhD was Keith Moffatt.
Amazing Discoveries in Fluid Dynamics
Professor Soward is famous for his work in a field called magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). This is the study of how magnetic fields and moving fluids work together. He is especially known for his contributions to dynamo theory. This theory explains how planets, like Earth, create their own magnetic fields.
He also studied how stable or unstable certain fluid movements are. He used a special math tool called asymptotic analysis to solve many tough problems. This helped him understand how Earth's magnetic field works. He even showed examples of "fast dynamos." These are ways magnetic fields can grow very quickly. This proved that such dynamos could exist.
Professor Soward found new ways that heat moves in spinning liquids. He also worked with another scientist, Steven Childress. Together, they created a model showing how magnetic fields are made in a spinning layer of fluid. He also showed that sometimes, wobbly fluid movements can create magnetic fields more easily than smooth ones.
He worked with Eric Priest to explain how magnetic field lines can break and rejoin. This process, called Magnetic reconnection, releases a lot of energy. It happens in events like solar flares on the Sun. Professor Soward also solved a problem about how things freeze in a tube shape. With C.A. Jones, he solved a problem about how fluids move between two spinning spheres.
Awards and Honours
In 1991, Andrew Soward was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honour for scientists in the United Kingdom.
