Leslie Howarth facts for kids

Leslie Howarth (born May 23, 1911 – died September 22, 2001) was a smart British mathematician. He studied how liquids and gases move, like water and air. This field is called fluid dynamics. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.

Life and Education

Leslie Howarth went to Accrington Grammar School. After that, he studied at the University of Manchester. He then moved to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

University Studies

At Cambridge, Leslie Howarth earned his first degree in mathematics in 1933. He continued his studies and got his doctorate in 1936. His teacher for his doctorate was Sydney Goldstein.

Early Career and Family

While he was still a student, Leslie Howarth married Eva Priestley. After finishing his studies, he became a teacher at King's College, Cambridge. From 1937 to 1938, he worked with another famous scientist, Theodore von Kármán, at Caltech in the United States.

Work During World War II

During World War II, Leslie Howarth used his math skills to help. He first worked on ballistics, which is the study of how bullets and rockets fly. Later, he worked at the Armament Research Department. This department helped develop weapons for the war.

After the War

After the war, Leslie Howarth taught at St John's College, Cambridge. One of his students there was Abdus Salam, who later became a Nobel Prize winner. In 1949, Howarth became a professor at the University of Bristol. He taught Applied Mathematics, which is about using math to solve real-world problems.

Leadership Roles

In 1964, he became the head of the Mathematics Faculty at Bristol. He was also the dean of the Faculty of Science from 1957 to 1960. He retired in 1976 and became an emeritus professor. This means he kept his title even after retiring.

His Research Work

Leslie Howarth mainly studied boundary layer theory. This is about how fluids behave very close to a surface. Imagine air flowing over an airplane wing; the air right next to the wing acts differently.

Working with Kármán

In 1938, he worked with Theodore von Kármán on isotropic turbulence. This is a complex topic about how fluids move in a chaotic but uniform way. They worked on this idea with another scientist named G. I. Taylor.

Awards and Honors

Leslie Howarth received several important awards for his work.

• In 1935, he won the Smith's Prize.
• In 1951, he won the Adams Prize.
• In 1950, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very special honor for top scientists in the UK.
• In 1955, he was given the OBE, which stands for Officer of the Order of the British Empire. This is an award from the British government.

Family Life

Leslie Howarth married Eva Priestley in 1934. They had two sons together.

See also

• Keith Stewartson
• Sydney Goldstein