Hertha Ayrton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hertha Ayrton
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| Born |
Phoebe Sarah Marks
28 April 1854 Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
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| Died | 26 August 1923 (aged 69) Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, England
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| Alma mater | University of London Girton College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Work with the electric arc, discovery with waves and ripple |
| Spouse(s) | William Edward Ayrton |
| Children | Barbara Bodichon Ayrton |
| Awards | Hughes Medal (1906) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineer, mathematician, physicist, inventor |
Hertha Ayrton (born Phoebe Sarah Marks) was an amazing British engineer, mathematician, and inventor. She lived from April 28, 1854, to August 26, 1923. Hertha was also a suffragette, meaning she fought for women's right to vote.
She is famous for her important work on electric arcs, which are bright lights used in early street lamps. She also studied how ripple marks form in sand and water. For her discoveries, she received the Hughes Medal from the Royal Society.
Contents
Hertha's Early Life and School
Hertha Ayrton was born Phoebe Sarah Marks in Portsea, England, in 1854. She was the third of eight children. Her father, Levi Marks, was a watchmaker from Poland. Her mother, Alice Theresa Moss, was a seamstress.
When Hertha was seven, her father passed away. This meant her mother had to raise eight children on her own. Young Sarah helped care for her younger brothers and sisters.
At age nine, Hertha went to live with her aunts in London. They ran a school, and she studied there with her cousins. Her cousins helped her discover her love for science and math. By age 16, she worked as a governess, teaching other children. But she still dreamed of learning more.
Studying at Cambridge University
A famous writer named George Eliot helped Hertha get into Girton College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Hertha studied mathematics. She also learned from a physicist named Richard Glazebrook.
While at college, Hertha was very active. She built a sphygmomanometer (a device to measure blood pressure). She also led the choir and even started the college's fire brigade.
In 1880, Hertha passed her math exams, but Cambridge University did not give full degrees to women back then. So, she took another exam at the University of London. In 1881, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree.
Her Work in Math and Electrical Engineering
After college, Hertha returned to London. She taught and did embroidery to earn money. She also ran a club for working girls. Hertha used her math skills to solve problems, and many of her solutions were printed in a magazine called Educational Times.
In 1884, Hertha invented something very useful: a line-divider. This tool helped engineers and artists divide a line into equal parts. It could also make figures bigger or smaller. This was her first big invention!
Two women who supported women's rights, Louisa Goldsmid and Barbara Bodichon, helped Hertha pay for the patent for her line-divider. Her invention was shown at an exhibition and got a lot of attention. From 1884 until she passed away, Hertha registered 26 patents. Most of these were for electric lamps and how air moves.
Discoveries with Electric Arcs
In 1884, Hertha started taking evening classes on electricity. Her teacher was Professor William Edward Ayrton, a leader in electrical engineering. In 1885, Hertha married Professor Ayrton. She then helped him with his science experiments. She also began her own research on electric arcs.
In the late 1800s, electric arc lamps were used to light streets. But they often flickered and made hissing noises. In 1895, Hertha wrote articles explaining why this happened. She found that oxygen touching the carbon rods in the lamp caused the problems.
In 1899, Hertha made history. She was the first woman to present her own paper to the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). Her paper was called "The Hissing of the Electric Arc." Soon after, she became the first female member of the IEE.
Hertha wanted to present her work to the Royal Society, a very important science group. But because she was a woman, they didn't allow it. Another scientist read her paper for her in 1901.
Awards and Recognition
In 1902, Hertha published a book called The Electric Arc. It shared all her research on electric arcs. This book helped establish her as a major figure in electrical engineering.
Even though she was so talented, the Royal Society initially refused to let her become a member because she was married. However, in 1904, she became the first woman to read her own paper before the Royal Society. It was about how ripples form in sand and water.
In 1906, Hertha Ayrton received the Royal Society's famous Hughes Medal. This award was for her work on electric arcs and sand ripples. She was only the fifth person to get this award and one of only two women to receive it by 2018.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Hertha Ayrton was very passionate about the women's suffrage movement. This movement worked to get women the right to vote. In 1907, she joined the WSPU, a group that fought for women's voting rights.
She helped organize events to raise money for the movement. Hertha also supported leaders like Emily Pankhurst. She even let Pankhurst use her bank account to avoid having money taken by the government. Hertha also hosted Pankhurst when she was recovering from being arrested for her activism.
Hertha was also a close friend of the famous scientist Marie Curie. She even taught Marie Curie's daughter, Irène Curie, math lessons. Hertha convinced Marie Curie to sign a protest against the harsh treatment of suffragettes.
Hertha's friend, Barbara Bodichon, helped her financially. Bodichon helped Hertha go to Girton College and supported her throughout her career. She even left her estate to Hertha when she passed away.
Later Life and Research
Hertha Ayrton continued her research throughout her life. She gave seven papers to the Royal Society between 1901 and 1926. The last one was presented after she had passed away.
Hertha was very interested in how air and water move. This led her to invent the Ayrton fan, also called a "flapper." This fan was used during the First World War in the trenches. It helped clear away poisonous gases. It took a year for the military to accept her invention, but over 100,000 fans were used on the battlefield.
Hertha also helped start new organizations. In 1919, she helped create the International Federation of University Women. In 1920, she helped found the National Union of Scientific Workers.
Hertha Ayrton passed away on August 26, 1923, from blood poisoning caused by an insect bite.
Hertha's Family Life
Hertha Ayrton was an agnostic, meaning she didn't believe in organized religion. She chose the name "Hertha" when she was a teenager. It came from a poem that criticized religion.
In 1885, she married William Edward Ayrton, a physicist. He was very supportive of her scientific work. Hertha named her daughter, born in 1886, Barbara Bodichon Ayrton, after her friend and supporter. Her daughter, called "Barbie," later became a member of Parliament. Hertha's grandson was the artist Michael Ayrton.
Hertha and William also cared for the artist Ernestine Mills after her mother passed away. They remained close friends. In 1915, Hertha tested her 'anti-gas fan' in Mills' garden. This fan was later used to clear dangerous gases from trenches during World War I.
Remembering Hertha Ayrton
Hertha Ayrton's contributions are still remembered today:
- Two years after her death, her friend Ottilie Hancock created the Hertha Ayrton Research Fellowship at Girton College, Cambridge. This fellowship helps scientists with their research.
- In 2007, a blue plaque was placed on her former home in London to honor her.
- In 2010, a group of scientists voted Hertha Ayrton as one of the ten most important British women in science history.
- On April 28, 2016, Google celebrated Hertha's 162nd birthday with a special Google Doodle on its homepage.
- In 2019, the UK government launched the Hertha Ayrton Fund. This fund helps developing countries get new technology to reduce pollution.
- In 2021, a new berth (a place where ships dock) at Portsmouth International Port was named 'The Ayrton Berth' in her honor.
See also
In Spanish: Hertha Ayrton para niños
