Memoir and Scientific Correspondence of the Late Sir George Gabriel Stokes, Bart.

Abstract

Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge and President of the Royal Society, Sir George Gabriel Stokes (1819–1904) made substantial contributions to the fields of fluid dynamics, optics, physics, and geodesy, in which numerous discoveries still bear his name. The Memoir and Scientific Correspondence of the Late Sir George Gabriel Stokes, Bart., edited by Joseph Larmor, offers rare insight into this capacious scientific mind, with letters attesting to the careful, engaged experimentation that earned him international acclaim. Volume 1 (1907) includes a memoir - culled from the reminiscences of family, friends, and colleagues - and letters, including early correspondence with Lady Stokes during the time of their engagement and early marriage. Professional correspondence covers Stokes' discoveries in the areas of spectroscopy, fluorescence, and colour vision. The result is an intimate portrait of a brilliant mathematician - both in the early stages of his career and at the height of his intellectual powers.