Leonard Bairstow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Leonard Bairstow
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1880 |
| Died | 8 September 1963 (aged 83) |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Science |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | National Physical Laboratory |
Sir Leonard Bairstow CBE FRS FRAeS (born June 25, 1880 – died September 8, 1963) was an amazing English engineer. He is best known for his important work in aviation, which is all about airplanes and flying. He also created a clever math trick called Bairstow's method. This method helps find the answers to complicated math problems called polynomials.
Contents
Growing Up and Learning
Leonard Bairstow was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. His dad, Uriah Bairstow, was a rich and smart mathematician. As a boy, Leonard went to Queens Road and Moorside Council Schools. He then briefly attended Heath Grammar School. After that, he went to the Council Secondary School, which was also known as the Higher Grade School.
University Studies
A special scholarship helped him go to the Royal College of Science. There, he earned a Whitworth Scholarship. This allowed him to do research on how gases explode.
His Amazing Career
After his studies, Leonard Bairstow started working at the National Physical Laboratory. This lab is located in Bushy Park. He eventually became the head of aeroplane research there. This meant he was in charge of studying how planes fly and making them better.
Helping with Airship Safety
He made a very important contribution to the report about the R101 airship disaster. This report tried to figure out why the airship crashed. His analytical skills helped understand what went wrong.
Becoming a Professor
From 1920 to 1949, he held the Zaharoff Chair of Aviation at Imperial College London. This is a very important teaching position in aviation. During this time, he became known as Professor Sir Leonard Bairstow. For a while, his assistant was Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave. She was also a pioneer in using math to understand how airplanes work.
Awards and Special Honours
Sir Leonard Bairstow was recognized for his great work. He became a member of the Royal Society of London. This is a very old and respected group for scientists. He also joined the Royal Aeronautical Society, which is for people who work with aircraft.
