Evan James Williams facts for kids

Evan James Williams (born June 8, 1903 – died September 29, 1945) was a brilliant scientist from Wales. He was an experimental physicist, which means he learned about physics by doing experiments. He worked with many famous scientists like Patrick Blackett, Lawrence Bragg, Ernest Rutherford, and Niels Bohr.

Evan studied at Swansea University and earned high degrees from Manchester and Cambridge universities. He later became a professor at Aberystwyth University. His fellow scientists thought very highly of him. In 1939, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.

Sadly, he passed away from cancer when he was 42 years old.

Evan's Early Life

Evan Williams was born in a small village in Wales called Cwmsychbant. His father, James, was a stonemason, and his mother was Elizabeth.

He went to Llanwenog Primary School and then Llandysul School. There, he was good friends with Evan Tom Davies and, like him, was excellent at math. When Evan was 16, he won a scholarship to Swansea University. He studied physics and graduated with top honors in 1923.

Evan's Personality

Evan Williams was a strong person with blue eyes and brown hair. He had a wide, friendly smile. He was very outgoing and loved playing practical jokes on his friends. He was also very passionate about the sport of cricket.

Evan's Amazing Career

After finishing at Swansea, Evan went to Manchester University to do physics research. He worked in the physics labs under Lawrence Bragg. In 1926, he earned a doctorate degree for his work on X-rays in gases.

He then went to the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University to study under Ernest Rutherford. In 1930, he earned another science degree from the University of Wales.

Studying Tiny Particles

Much of Evan's work was about sub-atomic particles. These are tiny particles that make up atoms. In 1933, he spent a year working with Niels Bohr in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many people believe this was where he did his best work.

Throughout the 1930s, he kept working on new theories about physics. He also taught physics at Manchester and Liverpool universities. At Liverpool, he worked with James Chadwick, who discovered the neutron.

Bragg-Williams Approximation

In 1934 and 1935, Evan worked with W.L. Bragg on an important theory. They studied how heat affects the way atoms are arranged in metal mixtures called alloys. Their theory is now known as the Bragg-Williams approximation. It helps scientists solve many problems in statistical physics, which is about how large groups of particles behave.

Professor and Discoveries

In 1938, Evan Williams became the head of the Physics Department at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth. He kept doing experiments with sub-atomic particles using a special tool called a cloud chamber.

In March 1939, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Evan Williams was also the first person to actually see and photograph muon decay. Muons are a type of sub-atomic particle.

Helping in World War II

When World War II started, Patrick Blackett asked Evan to join a special team. They needed his smart physics mind to help solve the problem of German submarines, called U-boats.

One of his inventions was the MDS (magnetic detection of submarines) system. This system helped find submarines using magnetism. American scientists were very excited about it when it was shown to them in 1940.

In 1941, Evan joined Blackett again at the RAF Coastal Command. There, he worked for several more years. He helped create better ways to deal with the German submarines and protect ships.

Evan was diagnosed with cancer in 1944. Even after two operations, he still traveled to Washington in 1945 to help with the war effort. He also wrote a scientific paper to honor Niels Bohr on his 60th birthday.

Evan's Death

Evan Williams passed away in September 1945 at his parents' home in Brynawel, Carmarthenshire. He was only 42 years old. He was buried at Capel y Cwm, in his home village of Cwmsychbant.

Patrick Blackett wrote a special tribute to Evan for the Royal Society. In 1949, Blackett also spoke about Evan on the radio. He said that Evan achieved so much in his short life and that physicists still miss his deep understanding of physics.

In 1971, a collection of articles about Evan Williams was published by John Tysul Jones.