Larmor , Sir Joseph

Larmor , Sir Joseph
(1857–1942) Irish physicist
Born at Magheragall in Ireland, Larmor gained his BA and MA from Queen's University, Belfast; he entered Cambridge University in 1877, gaining a fellowship in 1880. He then became professor of natural philosophy at Queen's College, Galway. In 1885 he returned to Cambridge as a university lecturer in mathematics and in 1903 became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. He retired from this post in 1932. Apart from his scientific work Larmor served as member of parliament for Cambridge University from 1911 to 1922.
Larmor's central interests were in applied mathematics and physics, specifically in electromagnetic theory, optics, mechanics, and the dynamics of the Earth. Like the work of his contemporary, Hendrik Lorentz, Larmor's work belongs to the final phase of classical physics that paved the way for the revolutions of relativity and quantum theory. An example of Larmor's basic scientific conservatism was his support of the concept of the ether as the wave-bearing medium thought to pervade all space and his work, published in 1900 as Aether and Matter, on the motion of matter through the ether. He believed that matter could only interact with the ether through the effects of electrically charged particles that formed part of the ether.
Larmor made two particularly important contributions to electrodynamics. He was the first to predict in 1897 the Larmor precession. This is the wobbling motion of the orbital plane of an electron moving in an atom when subjected to a magnetic field. The axis at right angles to the plane of the orbit sweeps out a conical area. Larmor also derived a nonrelativisitic formula that expresses the power radiated by an accelerated electron as being proportional to the square of the product of charge and acceleration.

Scientists. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Larmor, Sir Joseph — ▪ Irish physicist born July 11, 1857, Magheragall, County Antrim, Ire. died May 19, 1942, Holywood, County Down       Irish physicist, the first to calculate the rate at which energy is radiated by an accelerated electron, and the first to… …   Universalium

  • Joseph Larmor — Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Récompenses …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joseph Larmor — Sir Joseph Larmor (* 11. Juli 1857 in Magheragall, County Antrim, Nordirland; † 19. Mai 1942 in Holywood, County Down) war ein irischer Physiker und Mathematiker. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Larmor — Joseph Larmor Sir Joseph Larmor (* 11. Juli 1857 in Magheragall, County Antrim, Nordirland; † 19. Mai 1942 in Holywood, County Down) war ein irischer Physiker und Mathematiker. Von 1903 bis 1932 war er Professor auf dem …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph Larmor — (1857 1942) Nacimiento 11 de julio de 1857 Magheragall, Condado de Antrim, Irlanda Fallecimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • Joseph John Thomson — Sir Joseph John Thomson Profilansicht Sir Joseph John Thomson (häufig a …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • J. Larmor — Joseph Larmor Joseph Larmor Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Récompenses …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joseph Larmor — Infobox Scientist box width = 300px name = Joseph Larmor image width = 150px caption = Joseph Larmor (1857 1942) birth date = birth date|1857|07|11 birth place = Magheragall, County Antrim, Ireland death date = death date and… …   Wikipedia

  • Larmor precession — /lahr mawr/, Physics. the precession of charged particles, as electrons, placed in a magnetic field, the frequency of the precession (Larmor frequency) being equal to the electronic charge times the strength of the magnetic field divided by 4 pi… …   Universalium

  • larmor frequency — ˈlärˌmȯ(ə)r noun Usage: usually capitalized L Etymology: after Sir Joseph Larmor died 1942 British mathematician : the frequency of Larmor precession …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”