Lord Rayleigh
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh
Born	12 November 1842(1842-11-12) Langford Grove, Maldon, Essex, England
Died	30 June 1919 (aged 76) Terling Place, Witham, Essex, England
Nationality	United Kingdom
Fields	Physicist
Institutions	University of Cambridge
Alma mater	University of Cambridge
Doctoral advisor	Edward John Routh
Doctoral students	J. J. Thomson George Paget Thomson Jagdish Chandra Bose
Known for	Discovery of argon Rayleigh waves Rayleigh scattering Rayleigh criterion Duplex Theory
Notable awards	Nobel Prize for Physics (1904)
Signature

John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh OM (12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919) was an English physicist who with William Ramsay discovered the element argon, an achievement for which he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904. He also discovered the phenomenon now called Rayleigh scattering and predicted the existence of the surface waves now known as Rayleigh waves. Image File history File links Nobel_prize_medal. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1077, 495 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Not to be confused with Malden. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Statistics Population: 28,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TL821145 Administration District: Braintree Shire county: Essex Region: East of England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Essex Historic county: Essex Services Police force: Essex Police Ambulance service: East of England Post office and telephone Post town... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. ... For other uses, see Alma mater (disambiguation). ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. ... Edward John Routh (1831-1907) was a British mathematician, noted as the outstanding coach of students preparing for the Mathematical Tripos examination of the University of Cambridge in its heyday in the middle of the nineteenth century. ... Sir Joseph John “J.J.” Thomson, OM, FRS (18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940) was a British physicist and Nobel laureate, credited for the discovery of the electron and of isotopes, and the invention of the mass spectrometer. ... Image File history File links Nobel_prize_medal. ... Joe has no friends what-so-ever Sir George Paget Thomson FRS (May 3, 1892 – September 10, 1975) was a Nobel-Prize-winning, English physicist who discovered the wave properties of the electron by electron diffraction. ... Image File history File links Nobel_prize_medal. ... Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (Bengali: জগদীশ চন্দ্র বসু Jôgdish Chôndro Boshu) (November 30, 1858 – November 23, 1937) was a Bengali physicist from undivided India, who pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics. ... General Name, symbol, number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, period, block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 39. ... Rayleigh waves are a type of surface wave associated on the Earth with earthquakes and subterranean movement of magma. ... Rayleigh scattering causing the blue hue of the sky and the reddening at sunset Rayleigh scattering (named after Lord Rayleigh) is the scattering of light, or other electromagnetic radiation, by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light. ... Resolving power is the ability of a microscope or telescope to measure the angular separation of images that are close together. ... // caption The interaural time difference (or ITD) when concerning humans or animals, is the difference in arrival time of a sound between two ears. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... Image File history File links Nobel_prize_medal. ... This is Lord Rayleigh (1842-1919)s autograph, from Oliver Heaviside: Sage in Solitude (ISBN 0-87942-238-6), p. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine. ... For other uses, see William Ramsay (disambiguation). ... General Name, symbol, number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, period, block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 39. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... Rayleigh scattering causing the blue hue of the sky and the reddening at sunset Rayleigh scattering (named after Lord Rayleigh) is the scattering of light, or other electromagnetic radiation, by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light. ... // In physics, a surface wave can refer to a mechanical wave that propagates along the interface between differing media, usually two fluids with different densities. ... Rayleigh waves are a type of surface wave associated on the Earth with earthquakes and subterranean movement of magma. ...

Biography

Strutt was born in Langford Grove, Essex and in his early years suffered frailty and poor health. For other meanings of Essex, see Essex (disambiguation). ...

He went to Harrow School and began studying mathematics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in 1861. In 1865, he obtained his BA (Senior Wrangler and 1st Smith's prize) and MA in 1868. He was subsequently elected to a Fellowship of Trinity. He held the post until his marriage to Evelyn Balfour, daughter of James Maitland Balfour in 1871. He had three sons with her. Harrow School is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys. ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. ... At the University of Cambridge in England, a wrangler is a student who has completed the third year (called Part II) of the mathematical tripos with first-class honours. ... The Smiths Prize is a prize awarded to research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. ... James Maitland Balfour, of Whittinghame, was born on the 5 January 1820, son of James Balfour and Lady Eleanor Maitland, a daughter of the eighth Earl of Lauderdale. ...

In 1873 his father, John Strutt, 2nd Baron Rayleigh died, and he inherited the Barony of Rayleigh. The title Baron Rayleigh was created in 1821 in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ...

He was the second Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge, following James Clerk Maxwell in this position from 1879 to 1884. He first described dynamic soaring by seabirds in 1883 in the British journal Nature. The Cavendish Professorship is one of the senior Professorships in Physics at Cambridge University and was founded by grace of 9 February 1871 alongside the famous Cavendish Laboratory which was completed three years later. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. ... James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. ... Dynamic soaring is a flying technique used to gain kinetic energy without effort by repeatedly crossing the boundary between air masses of significantly different horizontal velocity. ... Seabirds are birds that spend much of their lives, outside the breeding season at least, at sea. ... Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ...

Approximately 1900 Lord Rayleigh developed the Duplex (combination of two) Theory (Human sound localization using two binaural cues). Interaural time delay (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) (assuming a spherical head with no external pinnae). Humans perceive sound objects spatially, using the difference in the phase (time delay) of the sound and the difference in amplitude (level) between the two ears, in a similar way that stereoscopic sight provides depth perception. Also called two primary cues for azimuth (horizontal location) but possibly its two primary cues for a 3 dimensional bearing. For example when you hear a seagull call out you can determine roughly x y and z location of the sound. Although Pinnae reflections are considered a main cue for vertical localisation. // caption The interaural time difference (or ITD) when concerning humans or animals, is the difference in arrival time of a sound between two ears. ... Binaural means involving both ears. Most evolved auditory systems feature two ears, one on either side of the head. ...

Lord Rayleigh was elected Fellow of the Royal Society on June 12, 1873 and served as president of the Royal Society from 1905 to 1908. He died on June 30, 1919 in Witham, Essex. For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Statistics Population: 28,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TL821145 Administration District: Braintree Shire county: Essex Region: East of England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Essex Historic county: Essex Services Police force: Essex Police Ambulance service: East of England Post office and telephone Post town...

Legacy and honours

Craters on Mars and the Moon are named in his honor as well as a type of surface wave known as a Rayleigh wave. The asteroid 22740 Rayleigh was named in his honour on 1 June 2007.† Tycho crater on Earths moon. ... Adjectives: Martian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... Rayleigh waves are a type of surface wave associated on the Earth with earthquakes and subterranean movement of magma. ... For other uses, see Asteroid (disambiguation). ...

• Royal Medal (1882)
• Matteucci Medal (1894)
• Copley Medal (1899)
• Nobel Prize for Physics (1904)
• Rumford Medal (1920)

The Royal Medals of the Royal Society of London were established by King George IV. They were further supported with certain changes to their conditions, by King William IV and Queen Victoria. ... The Matteucci Medal was established to award physicists for their fundamental contributions. ... The Copley Medal is a scientific award for distinguished achievement in any field of science and it is the highest award granted by the Royal Society of London. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... In 1796, Benjamin Thompson, known as Count Rumford, gave $5000 separately to the Royal Society of London and the other by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to give awards every two years for outstanding scientific research on heat or light. ...

Personal

As a person, Lord Rayleigh appeared to be a very nice person. He helped Agnes Pockels, who was a German lady previously unknown to him, to publish her first paper in the prestigious journal "Nature". Similarly, he helped to publish John James Waterston's paper on kinetic theory in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society when he dug out Waterston's paper in the archives of the Royal Society. Agnes Luise Wilhelmine Pockels (February 14, 1862 in Venice, Italy, – 1935), was a German hausfrau and pioneer in chemistry. ... John James Waterston (1811 - June 18, 1883) was a Scottish physicist, a neglected pioneer of the kinetic theory of gases. ... Kinetic theory or kinetic theory of gases attempts to explain macroscopic properties of gases, such as pressure, temperature, or volume, by considering their molecular composition and motion. ...

See also

• Rayleigh criterion
• Rayleigh fading
• Rayleigh number
• Rayleigh quotient
• Rayleigh scattering
• Rayleigh (unit) (named after his son)
• Rayleigh waves
• Rayleigh–Jeans law
• Rayleigh distribution
• Rayleigh–Taylor instability
• Plateau-Rayleigh instability
• Rayleigh Medal
• Rayleigh-Bénard convection

Angular resolution describes the resolving power of any optical device such as a telescope, a microscope, a camera, or an eye. ... Rayleigh fading is a statistical model for the effect of a propagation environment on a radio signal, such as that used by wireless devices. ... In fluid mechanics, the Rayleigh number for a fluid is a dimensionless number associated with the heat transfer within the fluid. ... In mathematics, for a given real symmetric matrix A and real nonzero vector x, the Rayleigh quotient R(A,x) is defined as: Note that R(A,c·x) = R(A,x) for any real scalar c. ... Rayleigh scattering causing the blue hue of the sky and the reddening at sunset Rayleigh scattering (named after Lord Rayleigh) is the scattering of light, or other electromagnetic radiation, by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light. ... The rayleigh is a unit of luminous flux used to measure air glow (auroras, for example). ... Rayleigh waves, also known as the Rayleigh-Lamb Wave or ground roll, are a type of surface wave. ... In probability theory and statistics, the Rayleigh distribution is a continuous probability distribution. ... The Plateau-Rayleigh instability, often called the Rayleigh instability, explains why and how a falling stream of fluid breaks up into smaller packets with the same volume but less surface area. ... Bénard cells are obtained in a simple experiment that Bénard, a French physicist, conducted in 1900. ...

Publications

• The theory of sound Vol. I (London : Macmillan, 1877) PDF copy from Bibliothèque Nationale de France
• The theory of sound Vol. II (London : Macmillan, 1877) PDF copy from Bibliothèque Nationale de France
• The Becquerel rays and the properties of radium (London, E. Arnold, 1904)
• Scientific papers (Vol. 2: 1881-1887) (Cambridge : University Press, 1899-1920)
• Scientific papers (Vol. 3: 1887-1892) (Cambridge : University Press, 1899-1920)
• Scientific papers (Vol. 4: 1892-1901) (Cambridge : University Press, 1899-1920)
• Scientific papers (Vol. 5: 1902-1910) (Cambridge : University Press, 1899-1920)
• Scientific papers (Vol. 6: 1911-1919) (Cambridge : University Press, 1899-1920) PDF/DjVu from Internet Archive

References

• Nobel website bio of Rayleigh
• About John William Strutt
• O'Connor, John J. & Robertson, Edmund F., “John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh”, MacTutor History of Mathematics archive