John William Strutt

Full Name: 3rd Baron Rayleigh
Profession: Physicist and Nobel Laureate

Nationality:

Biography: John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, commonly known as Lord Rayleigh, was a British physicist who made significant contributions to both theoretical and experimental physics. He is best known for discovering the element argon with his student, William Ramsay.

Born into an aristocratic family, Rayleigh was educated at Eton and the University of Cambridge. Early in his career, he held the position of Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge, where he conducted much of his noteworthy research.

As noted, he is perhaps best known for the discovery of argon in 1894, an achievement for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904. This discovery was significant as it was the first time a noble gas had been identified, which led to the revision of the periodic table and opened up a new area in atmospheric chemistry.

Rayleigh is also renowned for his work on the theory of sound, which is foundational in the field of acoustics. His book, The Theory of Sound, published in the 1870s, is considered a classic scientific work and remains relevant. He also made critical contributions to the understanding of light scattering, a phenomenon that explains why the sky appears blue, known as Rayleigh scattering.

Rayleigh's work in physics extended to the study of fluid dynamics and the stability of fluid flow, leading to the concept of Rayleigh waves in solid mechanics and Rayleigh flow in fluid dynamics. Additionally, he conducted important research in the field of optics, particularly in diffraction, which laid the groundwork for modern spectroscopy.

Beyond his scientific endeavors, Rayleigh was deeply involved in the scientific community and served as the President of the Royal Society from 1905 to 1908. He was also known for his humility and his dedication to science for the sake of knowledge, rather than for personal recognition.

Born: November 12, 1841
Birthplace: Maldon, Essex, England
Star Sign: Scorpio

Died: June 30, 1919 (aged 77)