Sir David Brewster, FRS (11 December 1781 – 10 February 1868) was a Scottish scientist, inventor and writer. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1781 ( MDCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
He was born at Jedburgh, where his father, a teacher of high reputation, was rector of the grammar school. Jedburgh (Referred to locally Jeddart or Jethart is a town and former Royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire. The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academic A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries At the age of twelve, he was sent to the University of Edinburgh, being intended for the clergy. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. However, he had already shown a strong inclination for natural science, and this had been fostered by his intimacy with a "self-taught philosopher, astronomer and mathematician," as Sir Walter Scott called him, of great local fame—James Veitch of Inchbonny, who was particularly skilful in making telescopes. In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects and the collection of Electromagnetic radiation.
Though he duly finished his theological studies and was licensed to preach, Brewster's other interests distracted him from the duties of his profession. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective In 1799 fellow-student, Henry Brougham, persuaded him to study the diffraction of light. Year 1799 ( MDCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Diffraction is normally taken to refer to various phenomena which occur when a wave encounters an obstacle Light, or visible light, is Electromagnetic radiation of a Wavelength that is visible to the Human eye (about 400–700 The results of his investigations were communicated from time to time in papers to the Philosophical Transactions of London and other scientific journals. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or Phil Trans London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The fact that other philosophers, notably Etienne Louis Malus and Augustin Fresnel, were pursuing the same investigations contemporaneously in France does not invalidate Brewster's claim to independent discovery, even though in one or two cases the priority must be assigned to others. Etienne-Louis Malus (23 July 1775 &ndash 24 February 1812 was a French officer, Engineer, Physicist, and Mathematician. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A lesser-known classmate of his, Thomas Dick, also went on to become a popular astronomical writer. Reverend Thomas Dick ( November 24, 1774 in Hilltown, Dundee - July 29, 1857) was a Scottish church minister
The most important subjects of his inquiries can be enumerated under the following five headings:
- The laws of polarization by reflection and refraction, and other quantitative laws of phenomena
- The discovery of the polarizing structure induced by heat and pressure
- The discovery of crystals with two axes of double refraction, and many of the laws of their phenomena, including the connection between optical structure and crystalline forms
- The laws of metallic reflection
- Experiments on the absorption of light. Polarization ( ''Brit'' polarisation) is a property of Waves that describes the orientation of their oscillations Reflection is the change in direction of a Wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wave front returns into the medium from which Refraction is the change in direction of a Wave due to a change in its Speed. In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature Pressure (symbol 'p' is the force per unit Area applied to an object in a direction perpendicular to the surface The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across
In this line of investigation, the prime importance belongs to the discovery
- of the connection between the refractive index and the polarizing angle
- of biaxial crystals, and
- of the production of double refraction by irregular heating.
These discoveries were promptly recognized. As early as 1807 the degree of LL.D. was conferred upon Brewster by Marischal College, Aberdeen; in 1815 he was made a member of the Royal Society of London, and received the Copley medal; in 1818 he received the Rumford Medal of the society; and in 1816 the French Institute awarded him one-half of the prize of three thousand francs for the two most important discoveries in physical science made in Europe during the two preceding years. Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Doctor of Laws ( Latin: Legum Doctor, LLD) is a Doctorate -level Academic degree in Law. Marischal College is a building in the Scottish city of Aberdeen belonging to the University of Aberdeen. Aberdeen ( pronounced; Aiberdeen Obar Dheathain is Scotland 's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The Copley Medal is a scientific award for distinguished achievement in any field of Science established by the Royal Society of London in 1731 Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Not to be confused with the Rumford Prize In 1796, Benjamin Thompson known as Count Rumford, gave $5000 separately to the Royal Year 1816 ( MDCCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Institut de France (French Institute is a French Learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is probably the Académie
Among the non-scientific public his fame spread more effectually by his rediscovery in about 1815 of the kaleidoscope, for which there was a great demand in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A kaleidoscope is a tube of Mirrors containing loose colored Beads Pebbles or other small colored objects The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An instrument of greater interest, the stereoscope, which, though of much later date (1849–1850), and along with the kaleidoscope did more than anything else to popularize his name, was not, as has often been asserted, the invention of Brewster. Stereoscopy, stereoscopic imaging or 3-D (three-dimensional imaging is any technique capable of recording three-dimensional visual Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link Sir Charles Wheatstone discovered its principle and applied it as early as 1838 to the construction of a cumbersome but effective instrument, in which the binocular pictures were made to combine by means of mirrors. Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS (6 February 1802 - 19 October 1875 was a British Scientist and Inventor of many scientific breakthroughs Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common A mirror is an object with a surface that has good Specular reflection; that is it is smooth enough to form an Image. Brewster's contribution was the suggestion to use lenses for uniting the dissimilar pictures; and accordingly the lenticular stereoscope may fairly be said to be his invention. A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate Axial symmetry which transmits and refracts Light, converging or diverging
A much more valuable and practical result of Brewster's optical researches was the improvement of the British lighthouse system. A lighthouse is a Tower, building or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or in older times from a fire and used as an Although Fresnel, who had also the satisfaction of being the first to put it into operation, perfected the dioptric apparatus independently, Brewster was active earlier in the field than Fresnel, describing the dioptric apparatus in 1812. Year 1812 ( MDCCCXII) a leap year started on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year He pressed its adoption on those in authority at least as early as 1820, two years before Fresnel suggested it and it was finally introduced into lighthouses mainly through his persistent efforts. Year 1820 ( MDCCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
Although Brewster's own discoveries were important, they were not his only service to science. He began writing in 1799 as a regular contributor to the Edinburgh Magazine, of which he acted as editor at the age of twenty. Year 1799 ( MDCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In 1807, he undertook the editorship of the newly projected Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, of which the first part appeared in 1808, and the last not until 1830. Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1808 ( MDCCCVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year For the game see 1830 (board game. Year 1830 ( MDCCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display The work was strongest in the scientific department, and many of its most valuable articles were from the pen of the editor. At a later period he was one of the leading contributors to the Encyclopædia Britannica (seventh and eighth editions) writing, among others, the articles on electricity, hydrodynamics, magnetism, microscope, optics, stereoscope, and voltaic electricity. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc Fluid dynamics is the sub-discipline of Fluid mechanics dealing with fluid flow: Fluids ( Liquids and Gases in motion In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. A microscope ( Greek: ( micron) = small + ( skopein) = to look or see is an instrument for viewing objects that are Stereoscopy, stereoscopic imaging or 3-D (three-dimensional imaging is any technique capable of recording three-dimensional visual In electronics a battery is a combination of two or more Electrochemical cells which store chemical Energy which can be converted into electrical energy
In 1819 Brewster undertook further editorial work by establishing, in conjunction with Robert Jameson (1774–1854), the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, which took the place of the Edinburgh magazine. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Professor Robert Jameson (1774-1854 was a Scottish naturalist and Mineralogist, born in Leith, near Edinburgh, in July Year 1774 ( MDCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland 's National academy of science and letters The first ten volumes (1819–1824) were published under the joint editorship of Brewster and Jameson, the remaining four volumes (1825–1826) being edited by Jameson alone. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common For the game see 1826 (board game. Year 1826 ( MDCCCXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display After parting company with Jameson, Brewster started the Edinburgh Journal of Science in 1824, sixteen volumes of which appeared under his editorship during the years 1824–1832, with very many articles from his own pen. Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian
He contributed between three and four hundred papers to the transactions of various learned societies, and few of his contemporaries wrote as much for the various reviews. In the North British Review alone seventy-five articles of his appeared. A list of his larger separate works will be found below. Special mention, however, must be made of the most important of them all–his biography of Sir Isaac Newton. Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements In 1831 he published a short popular account of the philosopher's life in Murray's Family Library; but it was not until 1855 that he was able to issue the much fuller Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton, a work which embodied the results of more than twenty years' investigation of original manuscripts and other available sources. Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year
Brewster's position as editor brought him into frequent contact with the most eminent scientific men, and he was naturally among the first to recognize the benefit that would accrue from regular communication among those in the field of science. In an article in the Quarterly Review, he made a suggestion for "an association of our nobility, clergy, gentry and philosophers," which was taken up by others and found speedy realization in the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The Quarterly Review, a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. Its first meeting was held at York in 1831; and Brewster, along with Charles Babbage and Sir John F. W. Herschel, had the chief part in shaping its constitution. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Sir John Frederick William Herschel 1st Baronet KH, FRS ( March 7, 1792 &ndash May 11, 1871)was an
In the same year in which the British Association held its first meeting, Brewster received the honour of knighthood and the decoration of the Guelphic order of Hanover. In 1838, he was appointed principal of the united colleges of St Salvator and St Leonard, University of St Andrews. Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between In 1849, he acted as president of the British Association and was elected one of the eight foreign associates of the Institute of France in succession to J. J. Berzelius; and ten years later, he accepted the office of principal of the University of Edinburgh, the duties of which he discharged until within a few months of his death. Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Institut de France (French Institute is a French Learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is probably the Académie Friherre Jöns Jacob Berzelius (20 August 1779 &ndash 7 August 1848 was a Swedish chemist
Of a high-strung and nervous temperament, Brewster was somewhat irritable in matters of controversy; but he was repeatedly subjected to serious provocation. He was a man of highly honourable and fervently religious character. In estimating his place among scientific discoverers, the chief thing to be borne in mind is that his genius was not characteristically mathematical. His method was empirical, and the laws that he established were generally the result of repeated experiment. To the ultimate explanation of the phenomena with which he dealt he contributed nothing, and it is noteworthy although he did not maintain to the end of his life the corpuscular theory he never explicitly adopted the wave theory of light. Few would dispute the verdict of James D. Forbes, an editor of the eighth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica: "His scientific glory is different in kind from that of Young and Fresnel; but the discoverer of the law of polarization of biaxial crystals, of optical mineralogy, and of double refraction by compression, will always occupy a foremost rank in the intellectual history of the age. James David Forbes ( April 20, 1809 - December 31, 1868) was a Scottish Physicist who worked extensively on the conduction The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc Thomas Young (13 June 1773 &ndash 10 May 1829 was an English Polymath who contributed to the scientific understanding of vision, Light " In addition to the various works of Brewster already mentioned, the following may be added: Notes and Introduction to Carlyle's translation of Legendre's Elements of Geometry (1824); Treatise on Optics (1831); Letters on Natural Magic, addressed to Sir Walter Scott (1832); The Martyrs of Science, or the Lives of Galileo, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler (1841); More Worlds than One (1854). Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year
See also Brewster's angle. Brewster's angle (also known as the polarization angle) is an Angle of incidence at which light with a particular Polarization is perfectly transmitted
References
- The Home Life of Sir David Brewster, by his daughter Mrs Gordon.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
- This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature is a collection of biographies of writers by John William Cousin (1849-1910 published in 1910 London, J. M. Dent & sons; New York, E. P. Dutton.
External links
- Sir David Brewster -- a short biography
- The Brewster Kaleidoscope Society
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Lee |
Edinburgh University Principals 1859 – 1868 |
Succeeded by Sir Alexander Grant |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by James Ivory |
Copley Medal 1815 |
Succeeded by Henry Kater |
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