Ernest George Coker facts for kids

Ernest George Coker (1869–1946) was a brilliant British mathematician and engineer. He was known for his amazing work on how materials behave under stress. He also became an expert in a special method called photoelasticity. This method uses light to see stress patterns in objects. Coker won important awards for his discoveries, like the Howard N. Potts Medal and the Rumford Medal. He even wrote for the famous Encyclopædia Britannica.

The Early Life of Ernest Coker

Ernest George Coker was born on April 26, 1869. His birthplace was Wolverton in Buckinghamshire, England. His father, George Coker, worked as an engine-fitter.

Education and Learning

Ernest went to a private school in Stony Stratford. He was a very smart student. In 1890, he won a special award called a Whitworth Scholarship. This scholarship helped him study at top universities. He studied at the Royal College of Science in London. Then, he went to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He also studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge University. He finished his studies in 1896.

His Career Journey

After university, Ernest Coker started working. One of his first jobs was helping to examine patents in London. Patents are official documents that protect new inventions. In 1898, he moved to Canada. He became an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at McGill University in Montreal.

Coker returned to Britain in 1901. He earned a higher degree, a DSc, from the University of Edinburgh. In 1905, he became a Professor at Finsbury Technical College. He taught Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics there. Later, in 1914, he became a professor at University College, London (UCL).

Awards and Recognition

Ernest Coker received special honorary doctorates from three universities. These were the University of Edinburgh, the University of Sydney, and Louvain.

He was also chosen as a Fellow of important scientific groups. In 1903, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 1916, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. Being a Fellow means you are recognized as a leading expert in your field.

In 1921, he received the Telford Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers. The next year, in 1922, he won the Howard N. Potts gold medal for physics. He received this award for his work on the photo-elastic method. This method helps engineers measure stress in materials. In 1924, he was invited to speak at a big meeting of mathematicians in Toronto.

He retired from his teaching work in 1934. A year later, in 1935, he became the President of the Whitworth Society.

Ernest Coker passed away on April 9, 1946, in Ayr, Scotland.

Family Life

Ernest Coker married Alice Mary King in 1899. She passed away in 1941.