Thomas Preston (scientist) facts for kids
Thomas Preston (born in Kilmore, County Armagh in 1860 – died in 1900) was an Irish scientist. He studied heat, magnetism, and how light breaks into different colors, which is called spectroscopy. He created important rules for understanding these light patterns, which are still known by his name today.
In 1897, Thomas Preston made a big discovery called the Anomalous Zeeman Effect. This happens when scientists look at the light patterns of elements with and without a magnetic field. Preston found that these patterns changed in a more complex way than another scientist, Zeeman, had reported. He published his findings, which he called "very startling" and "quite contrary to all theoretical explanations" at the time. His discoveries were a crucial step in developing new ideas in physics, like the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, which changed how scientists understood time and space.
Preston was a leading scientist in a research area focused on electromagnetism and light, led by George Johnstone Stoney and George Francis FitzGerald. He even had a public disagreement with Stoney, who is famous for naming the electron. Their debate was about a mathematical idea in their research. John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, who was the president of the Royal Dublin Society, even stepped in to support Preston in this scientific discussion.
Thomas Preston went to school at The Royal School, Armagh, the Royal University of Ireland, and Trinity College, Dublin. He worked with the physicist George Francis FitzGerald, who was known for his work in electromagnetics. Preston earned his degree in mathematics in 1885. From 1891 to 1900, he was a Professor of Natural Philosophy (which is like physics) at University College Dublin. He was also a Fellow of the Royal University of Ireland and the Royal Society in London, showing he was a highly respected scientist. His two main textbooks were used by students for over 50 years! While at University College Dublin, he wrote a book called The Theory of Light. In 1899, he won the second Boyle Medal from the Royal Dublin Society for his important work. Sadly, he passed away suddenly in Dublin on March 7, 1900, when he was at the peak of his scientific career.
Family
Thomas Preston was married to Katherine Preston, who was a college head. Their son, Prof George Dawson Preston FRSE (1896-1972), also became a physicist.
Important Books
- A Treatise on Spherical Trigonometry with Application to Spherical Geometry and Numerous Examples (with William J. McClelland) in two volumes, (Macmillan, 1885)
- The Theory of Light (Macmillan, 1890)
- The Theory of Heat (Macmillan, 1894)
