George Adolphus Schott facts for kids

George Adolphus Schott (also known as George Augustus Schott) was a British mathematician born on January 25, 1868. He passed away on July 15, 1937. He is best known for developing the full theory of how radiation is created by electrons moving extremely fast, almost at the speed of light.

Early Life and Education

George Schott was born in Bradford, England. His parents were from Germany. He went to school at Bradford Grammar School. Later, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, a famous university. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, in 1890. After that, he continued his studies and received his Doctor of Science degree.

Career and Discoveries

After finishing his studies, George Schott became an assistant lecturer in the Physics Department. He worked with D.M. Lewis. After taking a year to travel in Germany, he started teaching Applied Mathematics at Aberystwyth University in Wales. He spent the rest of his career there. In 1910, he became the head of the Applied Mathematics department. Later, he even became the vice-president of the college.

During his early years at Aberystwyth, Schott published his important work on electromagnetic radiation. This work built upon ideas from another scientist, Alfred-Marie Liénard. It wasn't until 1947 that scientists realized the blue light seen near special machines called particle accelerators was the exact radiation Schott had predicted. This light is now called 'synchrotron radiation'.

In 1909, Schott was given the Adams Prize for his scientific achievements. In 1922, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.

Schott was one of the last respected scientists who disagreed with the new ideas of quantum theory that Niels Bohr introduced. In 1933, he published a paper about the nonradiation condition of a wobbling charged sphere.

Published Works

• On the Reflexion and Refraction of Light (1894)
• Electromagnetic radiation: And the mechanical reactions arising from it (1912)

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  Electromagnetic Radiation and the mechanical reactions arising from it (1912)

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  Title page to Electromagnetic Radiation and the mechanical reactions arising from it (1912)

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  Preface to Electromagnetic Radiation and the mechanical reactions arising from it (1912)

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  Table of contents to Electromagnetic Radiation and the mechanical reactions arising from it (1912)

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  First page of Electromagnetic Radiation and the mechanical reactions arising from it (1912)