Douglas Hartree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas Hartree
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Hartree in 1934
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| Born |
Douglas Rayner Hartree
27 March 1897 Cambridge, England, UK
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| Died | 12 February 1958 (aged 60) Cambridge, England, UK
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| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Known for |
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| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | numerical analysis atomic physics |
| Institutions | University of Manchester Ministry of Supply University of Cambridge |
| Doctoral advisor | Ralph H. Fowler |
| Doctoral students |
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Douglas Rayner Hartree (born March 27, 1897 – died February 12, 1958) was an English mathematician and physicist. He is best known for his work in numerical analysis, which is about solving math problems using numbers instead of formulas. He used these skills to study atomic physics and helped create the Hartree–Fock method for understanding how electrons behave in atoms. He also built an early type of computer called a differential analyser using a toy construction set called Meccano.
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Early Life and School
Douglas Hartree was born in Cambridge, England. His father, William, taught engineering at the University of Cambridge. His mother, Eva Rayner, was a leader for women's rights and the first woman mayor of Cambridge.
Douglas went to St John's College, Cambridge. But his studies were stopped by World War I. During the war, he joined a group working on anti-aircraft ballistics. This meant calculating how to shoot down enemy planes. He became very good at solving math problems with just a pencil and paper. He even invented a simple device called the Hartree height-finder. This tool helped British soldiers quickly figure out how high enemy aircraft were.
After the war, Hartree went back to Cambridge. He finished his degree in natural sciences in 1922.
Understanding Atoms and Electrons
In 1921, a famous scientist named Niels Bohr visited Cambridge. Bohr's ideas about atoms inspired Hartree. He used his math skills to study Bohr's atom theory. This work led to his PhD in 1926. His advisor was Ernest Rutherford, another very famous scientist.
Soon after, a new math idea called Schrödinger's equation came out. This equation helped explain quantum theory, which describes how tiny particles like electrons behave. Hartree used his knowledge of differential equations and numerical analysis to work with this new theory.
He created the Hartree equations. These equations helped describe how electrons are arranged in an atom. He also came up with a way to solve these equations called the "self-consistent field method." Later, other scientists like V. Fock improved these ideas. They developed the Hartree–Fock method, which is still very important today. It helps scientists in computational chemistry understand how molecules and materials work.
Working in Manchester
In 1929, Hartree became a professor at the University of Manchester. In 1933, he visited Vannevar Bush in the USA. Bush had built a special machine called a differential analyser. This machine could solve complex math problems.
Hartree was so impressed that he built his own differential analyser when he returned to Manchester. He used Meccano parts, which are like advanced LEGOs! He then convinced Sir Robert McDougall to pay for a bigger, stronger version. This new machine was built with the help of a company called Metropolitan-Vickers.
One of the first things they used the machine for was calculating train timetables for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Hartree spent many years using the differential analyser. He solved problems in physics, like how fluids flow and how to control machines.
World War II Contributions
During World War II, Douglas Hartree led two groups of scientists. These groups used their math skills to help with the war effort.
One group worked for the Ministry of Supply. They used the differential analyser to solve many different problems. These included tracking targets, studying radio waves, and understanding explosions underwater. They also worked on how heat moves through steel and how to separate different types of atoms.
The second group worked on developing radar technology. Since they didn't have enough differential analysers, Hartree set up his team to work on mechanical desk calculators. They worked together to solve problems in parallel, like a team of "human computers." Hartree wrote many secret reports during the war, but he didn't publish these findings in science journals.
After the war, Hartree helped set up a new math section at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). He also visited the ENIAC computer in the USA. This was one of the very first electronic computers.
Later Life and Computers
In 1946, Hartree helped get funding for a new computer project at the University of Manchester. This led to important developments in early computing.
Hartree also worked on control systems. He was involved in the early uses of digital computers. He even advised the US military on how to use the ENIAC computer for calculating ballistics. In 1946, he became the first civilian to program the ENIAC. He used it to study how air flows over a wing at very high speeds.
Hartree also shared his knowledge with Maurice Wilkes at the University of Cambridge. This helped Wilkes design the EDSAC, which started working in 1949. Hartree worked closely with Wilkes. He showed many university researchers how to use this new machine for their work.
In 1946, Hartree became a professor at Cambridge. He gave a lecture about how amazing calculating machines were. He even predicted that computers would help solve problems in economics, medicine, and society.
In 1946, a newspaper quoted Hartree saying that computers would make human activity "1,000 times faster." He compared it to traveling from London to Cambridge in just five seconds!
Hartree also played a key role in the development of the first computer used for business. A catering company called J. Lyons & Co. wanted to use computers for their accounting. Hartree connected them with Wilkes and the Cambridge computer team. This led to the creation of the LEO computer. After Hartree's death, the company's headquarters was even named Hartree House to honor him.
Hartree's last PhD student, Charlotte Froese Fischer, continued his work. She developed important methods for understanding atomic structures.
Personal Life
Outside of his work, Douglas Hartree loved music. He knew a lot about orchestral and chamber music. He played the piano and even conducted an amateur orchestra. His love for music might have brought him together with his wife, Elaine Charlton, who was also a talented pianist. They had two sons, Oliver and John Richard, and one daughter, Margaret. Douglas Hartree passed away in Cambridge on February 12, 1958.
Honours and Awards
- He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1932.
- A unit of energy, the Hartree, is named after him.
- The Hartree Centre, a UK computing research facility, is named in his honor.
Books
- Calculating Machines: Recent and Prospective Developments and their impact on Mathematical Physics (1946)
- Numerical Analysis (1952)
Images for kids
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Differential analyser designed by Douglas Hartree, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.
