Oliver Heaviside
Oliver Heaviside (May 18, 1850 - February 3, 1925) was a self-taught British mathematician and physicist.
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2 Quotes 3 Further reading 4 External links and references |
Biography
Heaviside was born in Camden Town, London (England). Heaviside suffered from scarlet fever during his youth (and had a lasting impact on him). Although he was a good scholar (placed fifth out of five hundred students [1865]), he left school at 16 and became a telegraph operator. However he continued to study and, in 1872, while working as a chief operator in Newcastle upon Tyne, he started to publish papers on electricity.
Heaviside reduced the complexity of the Maxwell\'s equations down to four differential equations, known now collectively as Maxwell's Laws or Maxwell's equations. The re-formulated Maxwell's equations was changed from it's Quaternion form to the current state of which uses vector calculus. This applied mathematical study influenced the concepts intergal to electric circuits and of wave motion. Maxwell's Laws describe the nature of static and moving electric and magnetic charges, and the relationship between the two, namely electromagnetic induction.
Between 1880 and 1887, Heaviside developed the operational calculus (involving the D notation for the differential operator, to which he is credited of creating), a method of solving differential equations by transforming them into ordinary algebraic equations which caused a great deal of controversy when first introduced, owing to the lack or rigour in his derivation of it.
In 1887, Heaviside proposed that induction coils should be added to the transatlantic telegraph cable in order to correct the distortion which it suffered. For political reasons, this was not done.
Heaviside coined the term "electret" for the electric analogue of a permanent magnet, or, in otherwords, any substance that exhibits a quasi-permanent electric polarization (eg. ferroelectric).
In 1902, Heaviside proposed the existence of the Kennelly-Heaviside Layer of the ionosphere which bears his name (which was originally researched by Nikola Tesla around July 3, 1899). Heaviside proposeal included means by which radio signals are transmitted around the earth's curvature. It was confirmed in 1923.
He also developed the Heaviside step function, which he used to model the flow of current in an electric circuit.
In later years his behaviour became quite eccentric, having been at odds with the scientific establishment for most of his life.
Heaviside died in Paignton, Devon (England). Most of his recognition he gained post mortem.
Quotes
- "Why should I refuse a good dinner simply because I don't understand the digestive processes involved". -- Oliver Heaviside (replying to criticism over use of operators [before justified formally])
Further reading
- Lee, G., "Oliver Heaviside". London, 1947.
- The Heaviside Centenary Volume. London, 1950.
- Josephs, H, J., "Oliver Heaviside : a biography". London, 1963.
- Moore, D. H., Heaviside Operational Calculus, New York, 1971.
- Buchwald, J. Z., "From Maxwell to microphysics". Chicago, 1985.
- Searle, G. F. C., Oliver Heaviside, the Man, St Albans, 1987.
- Nahin, P. J., Oliver Heaviside, Sage in Solitude, New York, 1988.
- Lynch, A. C., "''The Sources for a Biography of Oliver Heaviside", History of Technology, Vol. 13, ed. G. Hollister-Short, London & New York, 1991.
- Hunt, B. J., "The Maxwellians". Ithica NY, 1991.
- Yavetz, I., "From Obscurity to Enigma: The Work of Oliver Heaviside, 1872-1889". Basel, 1995.
External links and references
- The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, "Oliver Heaviside". School of Mathematics and Statistics. University of St Andrews, Scotland
- Heather, Alan, "Oliver Heaviside". Torbay Amateur Radio Society..
- Naughton, Russell, "Oliver W. Heaviside: 1850 - 1925". Adventures in CyberSound.
