Leslie Howarth,
FRS (23 May 1911 – 22 September 2001) was a British mathematician who dealt with
hydrodynamics
In physics, physical chemistry and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids – liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including (the study of air and other gases in ...
and
aerodynamics
Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...
.
Biography
Leslie Howarth was born in
Bacup
Bacup ( , ) is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, east ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, England. He was educated at
Accrington Grammar School
Accrington Academy is a mixed 11-16 Academy in Accrington, Lancashire. It has designated specialisms in Sports and Mathematics. It is situated in the centre of Accrington. Accrington St Christopher's C of E High is nearby to the west.
History
...
, whence he moved to the
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
and then on to
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...
. At Cambridge Howarth received a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1933 and a doctorate under the supervision of
Sydney Goldstein
Sydney Goldstein FRS (3 December 1903 – 22 January 1989) was a British mathematician noted for his contribution to fluid dynamics. He is described as: "... one of those who most influenced progress in fluid dynamics during the 20th century."
...
in 1936.
Howarth married Eva Priestley when he was still a research student. Afterwards, he was a lecturer at
King's College, Cambridge
King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...
. In 1937–38 he was with
Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Kármán ( , May 11, 1881May 6, 1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who worked in aeronautics and astronautics. He was responsible for crucial advances in aerodynamics characterizing ...
at
Caltech
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he worked first in ballistics and from 1942 at the Armament Research Department.
After the war, he was a lecturer at
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
, where
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam Salam adopted the forename "Mohammad" in 1974 in response to the anti-Ahmadiyya decrees in Pakistan, similarly he grew his beard. (; ; 29 January 192621 November 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist. He shared the 1 ...
was one of his students, and from 1949 Professor of Applied Mathematics at the
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
. In 1964 he became Henry Overton Wills Professor and Head of the Mathematics Faculty. From 1957 to 1960 he was dean of the Faculty of Science. In 1976 he became emeritus professor.
Research
Haworth dealt especially with
boundary layer theory. A work with
Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Kármán ( , May 11, 1881May 6, 1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who worked in aeronautics and astronautics. He was responsible for crucial advances in aerodynamics characterizing ...
in 1938 was about isotropic turbulence.
Honours
In 1935 Haworth received the
Smith's Prize
Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge from 1769. Following the reorganization in 1998, they are now awarded under the names ...
, and in 1951 the
Adams Prize
The Adams Prize is a prize awarded each year by the Faculty of Mathematics at St John's College to a UK-based mathematician for distinguished research in mathematical sciences.
The prize is named after the mathematician John Couch Adams and wa ...
. In 1950 he became a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
. In 1955 he was awarded the OBE.
Family
In 1934 Howarth married Eva Priestley, with whom he had two sons.
See also
*
Keith Stewartson
Keith Stewartson (20 September 1925 – 7 May 1983) was an English mathematician and fellow of the Royal Society.
Early life
The youngest of three children, Stewartson was born to an English baker in 1925. He was raised in Billingham, County Dur ...
*
Sydney Goldstein
Sydney Goldstein FRS (3 December 1903 – 22 January 1989) was a British mathematician noted for his contribution to fluid dynamics. He is described as: "... one of those who most influenced progress in fluid dynamics during the 20th century."
...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howarth, Leslie
1911 births
2001 deaths
British fluid dynamicists
English mathematicians
Alumni of the University of Manchester
Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Society
Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge
Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire