The Year Book Of Facts In Science And Art Exhibiting The Most Important Discoveries And Improvements Of The Past Year In Mechanics And The Useful Arts Natural Philosophy Electricity Chemistry Zoology And Botany Geology And Mineralogy Meteorology And Astronomy By John Timbs

Author : John Timbs
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781330661437
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (614 download)

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Download or read book The Year-Book of Facts in Science and Art written by John Timbs and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-03 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Year-Book of Facts in Science and Art: Exhibiting the Most Important Discoveries Improvements of the Past Year; In Mechanics and the Useful Arts; Natural Philosophy; Electricity; Chemistry; Zoology and Botany; Geology and Geography; Meteorology and Astronomy George Biddell Airy, who fills the distinguished office of Astronomer Royal with so much benefit to science, and honour to his country, is a native of Alnwick, in Northumberland, born July 27, 1801. He was educated at private schools in Hereford and Colchester, an3 finally at the Grammar School in the latter town. In 1819 he commenced residence as Sizar Under Graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge; in 1822 he was elected Scholar; and in 1823 he took the University degree of Bachelor of Arts, with the honour of Senior Wrangler. He shortly after joined the Cambridge Philosophical Society, to whose Transaction he has contributed several valuable papers. In 1824 he was elected Follow of Trinity College; in 1820 he took the degree of Master of Arts, and in the same year was elected Lucasian Professor. This office, rendered illustrious when filled by Barrow and Newton, had, for many years, been a sinecure; but no sooner had Professor Airy been elected, in opposition to Mr. Babbage, than he notified his intention to deliver public lectures on Experimental Philosophy. The Professor commenced this good work in 1827, and he continued tho same to 1830; his system of lectures is known as the first in which (among other things) the Undulatory Theory of Light was efficiently illustrated. Professor Airy was also an active member of the then existing Board of Longitude. In 1828 he was elected, without opposition, to the Plumean Professorship, vacant by the decease of Mr. Robert Woodhouse. To the newly-elected Plumian Professor was entrusted the management of the Observatory of Cambridge, which had just been erected, and supplied with one of its instruments. The duties of this office requiring the undivided attention of Professor Airy, his income was very justly increased by annual grant from the funds of the University of Cambridge. On taking charge of the new Observatory, ho vigorously commenced a course of observations; but his able services will be best remembered for the form which he introduced in the calculation and publication of the Observations, by which their utility was very greatly increased: it has served as a pattern for the forms adopted at Cambridge. Greenwich, and other Observatories, to the present time. Professor Airy had also tho satisfaction of superintending the mounting of the Equatorial, the Mural Circle, and the Northumberland Telescope (tho last entirely from his own plans), at the Cambridge Observatory. In the autumn of 1836, tho office of Astronomer Royal became vacant by the resignation of Mr. John Pond, when Mr. Airy was appointed to it. The patronage of this office rests with the first Lord of the Treasury; but the selection was made in this instance by Lord Auckland, then first Lord of the Admiralty. In the discharge of his duties, Mr. Airy has distinguished himself by giving great regularity to tho general proceedings in the Greenwich Observatory; by maintaining with great steadiness tho general outline of the plan which the requirements of a fundamental Observatory, and the historical associations, have imposed on the Royal Observatory; while he has introduced new instruments and new modes of calculation and publication, by which the value of the Observatory to science may lie increased. The important introduction of the Altazimuth and the Transit Circle (both from Mr. Airy's plans, ) has undoubtedly placed the Greenwich Observatory at the head of all existing Meridional Observatories. The Magnetic and Meteorological department of the Observatory is well known for its success in the practical introduction of the system of Photographic self-registration. Mr. Airy's Researches on Optical, Tidal, and other important sci