John Henry Poynting

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"Poynting" redirects here. For the vector, see Poynting vector. For the theorem, see Poynting Theorem.
John Henry Poynting

Born September 9, 1852(1852-09-09)
Parsonage, Monton, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Died March 30, 1914 (aged 61)
Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Fields Physics
Known for Poynting vector

John Henry Poynting (Parsonage, Monton, Manchester, Lancashire, England September 9, 1852 [1] – Birmingham, Warwickshire March 30, 1914 [2]) was an English physicist. He was a professor of physics at Mason Science College (now the University of Birmingham) from 1880 until his death.

He was the developer and eponym of the Poynting vector, which describes the direction and magnitude of electromagnetic energy flow and is used in the Poynting theorem, a statement about energy conservation for electric and magnetic fields. This work was first published in 1884. He performed a measurement of Newton's gravitational constant by innovative means during 1893. In 1903 he was the first to realise that the Sun's radiation can draw in small particles towards it. It was later coined the Poynting-Robertson effect.

In the year 1884 he analysed the futures exchange prices of commodities using statistical mathematics.

[edit] Works by J. H. Poynting

(London, C. Griffin, 1911).

  • The earth; its shape, size, weight and spin (Cambridge University Press, 1913).
  • A Comparison of the Fluctuations in the Price of Wheat and in the Cotton and Silk Imports into Great Britain, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 47, 1884, p34-64.

Craters on Mars and the Moon are named in his honour, as is the main Physics building at the University of Birmingham.

[edit] References

  1. ^ GRO Register of Births: DEC 1852 8c 391 BARTON - John Henry Poynting, mmn = unknown
  2. ^ GRO Register of Deaths: MAR 1914 6d 128 KING'S N. - John Henry Poynting, aged 61
Persondata
NAME Poynting, John Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Physicist
DATE OF BIRTH 1852-09-09
PLACE OF BIRTH Parsonage, Monton, Manchester, Lancashire, England
DATE OF DEATH 1914-03-30
PLACE OF DEATH Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
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