Horace Lamb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Horace Lamb
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Horace Lamb in 1885
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| Born | 27 November 1849 |
| Died | 4 December 1934 (aged 85) Cambridge, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Lamb vector Lamb–Oseen vortex Lamb–Chaplygin dipole Lamb waves Lamb surfaces Skin effect Volume viscosity |
| Awards | Smith's Prize (1872) Royal Medal (1902) De Morgan Medal (1911) Copley Medal (1923) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | |
| Academic advisors | James Clerk Maxwell George Gabriel Stokes |
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Sir Horace Lamb (born November 27, 1849 – died December 4, 1934) was an important British applied mathematician. He wrote several famous books about classical physics. Two of his most well-known books are Hydrodynamics (1895) and Dynamical Theory of Sound (1910). These books are still used today. Lamb also created the word "vorticity" in 1916, which describes how fluids spin.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Learning
Horace Lamb was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England. His father, John Lamb, was a foreman in a cotton mill. John invented a better spinning machine but died when Horace was a child. Horace then went to live with his strict aunt.
He went to Stockport Grammar School. There, he met a kind headmaster, Rev. Charles Hamilton. He also became friends with Frederic Slaney Poole, a classics graduate. These two teachers helped Lamb become interested in mathematics and classical literature.
In 1867, Lamb won a scholarship for classics at Queens' College, Cambridge. But he wanted to study engineering. So, he turned down the scholarship. Instead, he spent a year at Owens College in Manchester. He wanted to improve his math skills there.
At Owens College, he studied under Thomas Barker, a great mathematician. Lamb did very well with Barker's help. He then won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge. At Trinity, he was the second-best math student in his year. He became a fellow in 1872. His teachers included famous scientists like James Clerk Maxwell and George Gabriel Stokes.
Working at Universities
Cambridge University Days
From 1872 to 1875, Lamb worked at Trinity College, Cambridge. He taught new and interesting lessons on hydrodynamics to students. One student, Richard Glazebrook, said Lamb's lessons were amazing. He praised Lamb for clearly explaining how liquids move and spin.
However, Lamb fell in love with Elizabeth Foot. She was the sister-in-law of his old headmaster. At that time, teachers at Trinity College could not be married. So, in 1875, Lamb had to leave his job. He needed to find work somewhere else.
Time in Australia
Lamb's friend, Frederic Slaney Poole, lived in South Australia. When he heard about Lamb's engagement, Poole suggested he apply for a job. The new University of Adelaide needed a professor. In 1875, Lamb became the first Elder Professor of Mathematics there. He started teaching in March 1876.
Lamb helped set up the university's academic and administrative rules. He taught pure and applied mathematics. He also showed students practical physics experiments. For ten years, the university had few students in the Bachelor of Arts course. Lamb also gave public lectures in the evenings. His work was not too heavy.
In 1878, he published his book, A Treatise on the Mathematical Theory of the Motions of Fluids. This book was later reprinted as Hydrodynamics in 1895. In 1883, Lamb wrote a paper for the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. He used Maxwell's equations to study how electricity flows in round objects. This was an early study of what is now called the skin effect. Lamb became a member of the Royal Society in 1884.
Manchester University Years
In 1885, Lamb became a professor of mathematics at Owens College, Manchester. This college later became part of the Victoria University of Manchester in 1904. He held this job until he retired in 1920.
During his time in Manchester, he published many important books. These included new editions of Hydrodynamics (1895, 6th ed. 1933). Other books were An Elementary Course of Infinitesimal Calculus (1897), The Dynamical Theory of Sound (1910), Statics (1912), and Dynamics (1914). He also wrote Higher Mechanics (1920) and The Evolution of Mathematical Physics (1924).
Later Life and Ideas
In 1932, Lamb gave a speech to the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He joked about how hard it is to understand turbulence in fluids. Turbulence is when fluids, like water or air, move in a messy, swirling way.
He famously said, "I am an old man now. When I die and go to heaven, I hope to learn two things. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the first, I am rather optimistic." This shows how challenging he found the study of turbulence.
Lamb is also known for describing special waves in thin solid layers. These waves are now called Lamb waves.
Family Life
Horace Lamb married Elizabeth Foot in 1875. They had seven children together. Some of his notable children include Walter Lamb, who studied classical history. His son Henry Lamb became a painter. His daughter Dorothy Lamb was an archaeologist. His grandson, Hubert Lamb, became a famous climatologist.
Horace Lamb died in 1934. He was buried with his wife at the Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge.
Awards and Recognition
Horace Lamb received many honors for his work. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1884. He was also the vice-president of the Royal Society twice. He received its Royal Medal in 1902. In 1924, he received the Copley Medal, which is the society's highest honor.
He was president of the London Mathematical Society from 1902 to 1904. He also led the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. In 1925, he was president of the British Association. He was given the title of Sir in 1931. A room at the Alan Turing Building at the University of Manchester is named after him. In 2013, the Sir Horace Lamb Chair was created at Manchester. A building at the University of Adelaide also carries his name.
See also
- Lamb (crater)
- Lamb–Oseen vortex
