Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet

Sir George Gabriel Stokes ( * August 13 1819 in Skreen, County Sligo, † February 1, 1903 in Cambridge ) was an Irish mathematician and physicist.

Life and work

Stokes studied in 1837 at Cambridge University, graduated in 1841 and was there in 1849 Lucasischer professor of mathematics. Since 1851 he has been a member since 1854 and also secretary of the Royal Society; between 1885 and 1890 Stokes was its president. Stokes worked in the field of pure mathematics and mathematical and experimental physics. His theoretical studies were primarily concerned with the hydrodynamics, the theory of propagation of electromagnetic waves and the theory of sound propagation. His experiments had mainly to do with the phenomena of light.

An important work of Stokes fluorescence treated, the nature of which he recognized as the first. He showed that the fluorescent substances are self-luminous, by absorbing the incident light in itself. Wherein the molecules of the substrate come into vibration. Stokes established by this work the theory of absorption of light ( see Stokes shift ). As a result, he was concerned with the spectral analysis and examined the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

Named after Stokes are:

  • The Navier -Stokes equations,
  • The related with the Navier -Stokes equations Stokes equations,
  • The Stokes -Einstein equation,
  • The Stokes' theorem,
  • The CGS unit Stokes,
  • Stokes friction,
  • The Stokes parameters,
  • The Stokes radius, see hydrodynamic radius
  • The Stokes number,
  • The Stokes shift,
  • The law of Stokes,
  • Stokes shockwaves formula
  • An impact crater on the moon, see Stokes ( crater),
  • An impact crater on Mars, see Stokes ( Mars crater )
  • The asteroid ( 30566 ) Stokes.

George Gabriel Stokes in 1889 appointed a baronet. In 1888 he was appointed foreign member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

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