Edward Leamington Nichols
Encyclopedia
Edward Leamington Nichols (1854 – November 10, 1937) was an American
physicist
. He was born of American parentage at Leamington
, England
, and received his education at Cornell University
, graduating in 1875. After Studying at Leipzig
, Berlin
, and Göttingen
(Ph.D., 1879) he was appointed fellow in physics
at Johns Hopkins
. He then spent some time in the Thomas Edison laboratory at Menlo Park, N. J.
, and subsequently became professor
of physics and chemistry
in the Central University of Kentucky (1881), professor of physics and astronomy
at the University of Kansas
(1883), and professor of physics at Cornell University
(1887). He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences
, was president
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(1907) and of the American Physical Society
(1907-08), and served as a member of the visiting committee of the United States Bureau of Standards
. The degrees of LL.D. and Sc.D. were conferred on Professor Nichols by the University of Pennsylvania
and Dartmouth College
respectively. He was the author of several college textbooks on physics. In 1927 he was awarded the Franklin Institute
's Elliott Cresson Medal
. In 1929 he was awarded the Frederic Ives Medal by the OSA
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. He was born of American parentage at Leamington
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and received his education at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, graduating in 1875. After Studying at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
(Ph.D., 1879) he was appointed fellow in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He then spent some time in the Thomas Edison laboratory at Menlo Park, N. J.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and subsequently became professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of physics and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
in the Central University of Kentucky (1881), professor of physics and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
(1883), and professor of physics at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
(1887). He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, was president
President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science , founded in 1848, is the world's largest general scientific society. It serves 262 affiliated societies and academies of science and engineering, representing 10 million individuals worldwide...
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(1907) and of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
(1907-08), and served as a member of the visiting committee of the United States Bureau of Standards
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
. The degrees of LL.D. and Sc.D. were conferred on Professor Nichols by the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
respectively. He was the author of several college textbooks on physics. In 1927 he was awarded the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
's Elliott Cresson Medal
Elliott Cresson Medal
The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848...
. In 1929 he was awarded the Frederic Ives Medal by the OSA
Optical Society of America
The Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...
.
E. L. Nichols and the Physical Review
Obituaries
- Ernest Merritt, Edward Leamington Nichols Physical ReviewPhysical ReviewPhysical Review is an American scientific journal founded in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society. The journal is in its third series, and is split in several...
, 53, 1 (1938). - Edward L. Nichols: 1854-1937, Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, 42, 51 (1939)
- Ernest Merritt, Biographical memoir of Edward Leamington Nichols Biographical memoirs of the National Academy of the Sciences, 21 (1940)
Writings
- A laboratory manual of physics and applied electricity v. 1 (New York : Macmillan, 1894)
- A laboratory manual of physics and applied electricity v. 2 (New York : Macmillan, 1894)
- The galvanometer : a series of lectures ( New York : McIlroy & Emmet, 1894)
- The elements of physics. A college text-book v. 1. Mechanics and heat (New York : Macmillan, 1896)
- The elements of physics. A college text-book v. 2. Electricity and magnetism (New York : Macmillan, 1896)
- The elements of physics. A college text-book v. 3. Light and sound (New York : Macmillan, 1896)
- The outlines of physics: an elementary text-book (New York : Macmillan, 1897)
- Questions and exercises to be used in connection with Outlines of physics, an elementary text-book (New York : Macmillan, 1897)
- Studies in luminescence ( Washington DC, Carnegie Institution, 1912)
- Fluorescence of the uranyl salts ( Washington DC, Carnegie Institution, 1919)