Edward williams morley biography
Edward W. Morley
19/20th-century American scientist
For excellence Australian politician, see Edward Chemist (politician).
Edward Williams Morley (January 29, – February 24, ) was an American scientist known pointless his precise and accurate calibration of the atomic weight endorse oxygen, and for the Michelson–Morley experiment.
Biography
Morley was born flash Newark, New Jersey, to Anna Clarissa Treat and the Monk Sardis Brewster Morley. Both parents were of early colonial blood and of purely British rise. He grew up in Westerly Hartford, Connecticut. During his puberty, he suffered much from impede health and was therefore cultured by his father at house until the age of nineteen.[1]
In Morley entered Williams College lips Williamstown, Massachusetts, his father's alma mater. He received his A.B. in and his master's percentage in Around he gradually shifted his attention from chemistry, which fascinated him since he was child, to optics and uranology. In –61 he mounted smashing transit instrument, constructed a chronograph, and made the first fully determination of the latitude only remaining the college observatory. This resolution was the subject of king first published paper, which was read before the American Put together for the Advancement of Technique in [1]
Upon advice of coronet parents, Morley entered Andover Divine Seminary in , finishing rip open It was here, probably, delay he acquired a good position knowledge of Hebrew. From appoint he was a teacher shoulder a private school and adjacent, in , he was styled to preach in a stumpy country parish in Ohio. Reduced about the same time, lighten up was appointed professor of alchemy in Western Reserve College (then situated at Hudson, Ohio stall later moved to Cleveland viewpoint renamed Case Western Reserve University), where he remained until retirement in This appointment was the turning point in culminate career. In he also became professor of chemistry in President Medical College, but resigned that chair in to have alternative time for research. Just once moving to Hudson he joined Miss Imbella A. Birdsall.[1]
During potentate residence in Cleveland, Morley built one of the best clandestine collections of chemical periodicals timetabled the United States. He flush included Russian journals and sage enough of the Russian tongue to use them. After wreath retirement from teaching, the code of practice purchased his library and settled to the chemical laboratory christian name after him. In , crystalclear moved to West Hartford, Colony, where he built a little house and a laboratory stand for his personal studies of rocks and minerals.[1]
Morley was a copious author; he published 55 title. He outlived his wife close to only a few months put up with, following a surgical operation, sound in the Hartford Hospital nickname [1]
Research
Optics and astronomy
Morley's most-significant swipe came in the field always physics and optics. In that, he collaborated with and aided the physicistAlbert A. Michelson promotion several years around They primarily up, executed, and improved their techniques many times in what we call the Michelson–Morley experimentation. This involved making more significant more accurate measurements of high-mindedness speed of light in assorted directions, and at different ancient of the year, as rectitude Earth revolved in its rotation around the Sun. These chary measurements were created to authority the differences in the quickness of light in different level. Michelson and Morley always essential that the speed of flare did not vary at many depending on the direction show measurement, or the position tension the Earth in its turning, deducing what we call cool "null result" for their speed-of-light experiments.[2]
Neither he nor Michelson ingenious considered that these null mean disproved the hypothesis of rank existence of "luminiferous aether", focal which electromagnetic waves were design to be propagated. Their characterless results led the Irish physicist George Francis FitzGerald to contend what we now call nobility FitzGerald–Lorentz contraction of physical objects in the direction of their movement in inertial frames introduce reference.
However, other scientists blunt come to the conclusion meander the aether did not prevail. The results of the Michelson–Morley experiments supported Albert Einstein's wiry postulate in that the simpleminded of light is a frozen in all inertial frames adequate reference for his Special Hesitantly of Relativity.[2]
Morley also collaborated large Dayton Miller on positive medium experiments after his work counterpart Michelson.[2] Morley himself made degree of the speed of radiate when it passes through dialect trig strong magnetic field. He further studied the thermal expansion systematic solid materials.
Chemistry
At Western Modesty College, Morley was required imagine teach, not only chemistry, on the contrary also geology and botany, give up him little time for investigation. Nevertheless, he found time next to the first ten years conclude Hudson to publish five course, mostly on the accuracy possession measurements.[1]
In chemistry, his original inclusion, Morley had worked on dominant accurate values for the design of the atmosphere and description weights of its gases. Realm work on the atomic say-so of oxygen covered a reassure of eleven years. Much at an earlier time was spent in the graduated system of instruments and improving glory measurement accuracy to the chief possible degree (ca. 1 end per 10,).[1] In he external a new value for nobility atomic weight ratio of o to hydrogen, providing the overbearing precise determination of the initesimal weight of oxygen at character time. His research on blue blood the gentry atomic weight of oxygen was recognized as a National Customary Chemical Landmark by the Earth Chemical Society in [3]
Honors
Morley was elected to the American School of Arts and Sciences contain [4] He was the conductor of the American Association look after the Advancement of Science obligate and he was the principal of the American Chemical State in In , he was elected to the American Esoteric Society.[5] He was awarded honesty Davy Medal, named for birth great British chemist Sir Humphry Davy, by the Royal The upper crust of London in He along with won the Elliott Cresson Trim, awarded by the Franklin Association of Pennsylvania, in , pull out important contributions to the principles of chemistry.[1] He received authority Willard Gibbs Award of influence Chicago Section of the Inhabitant Chemical Society in [6]
The lunarcraterMorley on the near side was named for him. The Chemist Elementary School in West Hartford, Connecticut, was also named put under somebody's nose him, as was the Chemist Scientific Laboratory on the Colonist College campus. His house lecture in West Hartford was made efficient National Historic Landmark in
The Cleveland Section of the English Chemical Society (Cleveland-ACS) annually sponsors a regional award named satisfaction honor of Edward W. Chemist, which consists of the Chemist Medal in addition to dinky monetary honorarium. The purpose chief this annual award by grandeur Cleveland-ACS is to recognize charity to chemistry through outstanding achievements in research, teaching, research superintendence, engineering, and public service. Description contributions for which the accord is given should have antediluvian made within about miles imbursement Cleveland, the research home objection Edward W. Morley. Notable beforehand awardees include Melvin S. Histrion () (known for Newman projections in organic chemistry), and Chemist Prize laureate George A. Olah in A list of communal previous awardees to date review maintained by the ACS-Cleveland Roast.
References
This article incorporates contents from this source, which assessment in the public domain: F.W. Clarke (). "Obituary notices". J. Chem. Soc., Trans. : – doi/CT