Sir Robert Stawell Ball (1 July 1840 – 25 November 1913) was an Irish

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

who founded the

screw theory Screw theory is the algebraic calculation of pairs of Vector (mathematics and physics), vectors, also known as ''dual vectors'' – such as Angular velocity, angular and linear velocity, or forces and Moment (physics), moments – that arise in th ...

. He was Royal Astronomer of Ireland at

Dunsink Observatory The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink in the outskirts of the city of Dublin, Ireland. Alexander Thom''Irish Almanac and Official Directory''7th ed., 1850 p. 258. Retrieved: 2011-0 ...

Life

He was the son of naturalist Robert Ball and Amelia Gresley Hellicar. He was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. and was educated at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

where he won a scholarship in 1859 and was a senior moderator in both ''mathematics'' and ''experimental and natural science'' in 1861. Ball worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867, he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. There he lectured on

mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among Physical object, physical objects. Forces applied to objects may result in Displacement (vector), displacements, which are changes of ...

and published an elementary account of the science. In 1873, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1874, he was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in

. Ball contributed to the science of

kinematics In physics, kinematics studies the geometrical aspects of motion of physical objects independent of forces that set them in motion. Constrained motion such as linked machine parts are also described as kinematics. Kinematics is concerned with s ...

by delineating the

screw displacement In kinematics, Chasles' theorem, or Mozzi–Chasles' theorem, says that the most general rigid body displacement can be produced by a screw displacement. A direct Euclidean isometry in three dimensions involves a translation and a rotation. The ...

: :When Ball and the screw theorists speak of screws they no longer mean actual cylindrical objects with helical threads cut into them but the possible motion of any body whatsoever, including that of the screw independently of the nut. Ball's treatise ''The Theory of Screws'' (1876) is now in the public domain. His work on screw dynamics earned him in 1879 the

Cunningham Medal The Cunningham Medal is the most prestigious award conferred by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), the premier learned society of Ireland. It is awarded once every three years for, "Outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the A ...

of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

. In 1882, ''

Popular Science Monthly Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

'' carried his article "A Glimpse through the Corridors of Time". The following year it carried his two-part article on "The Boundaries of Astronomy". He was knighted in 1886. Ball expounded the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

s in ''Time and Tide: a Romance of the Moon'' (1889). He published in 1891 ''The Cause of an Ice Age'' and in 1892 ''An Atlas of Astronomy''. In 1892, he was appointed

Lowndean Professor of Astronomy and Geometry The Lowndean chair of Astronomy and Geometry is one of the two major Professorships in Astronomy (alongside the Plumian Professorship) and a major Professorship in Mathematics at Cambridge University. It was founded in 1749 by Thomas Lowndes, an ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

at the same time becoming director of the

Cambridge Observatory Cambridge Observatory is an astronomical observatory at the University of Cambridge in the East of England. It was established in 1823 and is now part of the site of the Institute of Astronomy. The old Observatory building houses the Institute o ...

. In 1897, he was elected an International Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. He was a fellow of

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 1900,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

published ''A Treatise on the Theory of Screws''. It followed works meant for a more general audience, such as ''The Story of the Heavens'', first published in 1886. Much in the limelight, he stood as President of the

Quaternion Society The Quaternion Society was a scientific society, self-described as an "International Association for Promoting the Study of Quaternions and Allied Systems of Mathematics". At its peak it consisted of about 60 mathematicians spread throughout the ac ...

. He was also President of the

Mathematical Association The Mathematical Association is a professional society concerned with mathematics education in the UK. History It was founded in 1871 as the Association for the Improvement of Geometrical Teaching and renamed to the Mathematical Association in ...

in 1900. In 1908, he published ''A Treatise on Spherical Astronomy'', which is a textbook on

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

starting from

spherical trigonometry Spherical trigonometry is the branch of spherical geometry that deals with the metrical relationships between the edge (geometry), sides and angles of spherical triangles, traditionally expressed using trigonometric functions. On the sphere, ge ...

and the

celestial sphere In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an abstract sphere that has an arbitrarily large radius and is concentric to Earth. All objects in the sky can be conceived as being projected upon the inner surface of the celestial sphere, ...

, considering

atmospheric refraction Atmospheric refraction is the deviation of light or other electromagnetic wave from a straight line as it passes through the atmosphere due to the variation in air density as a function of height. This refraction is due to the velocity of light ...

and

aberration of light In astronomy, aberration (also referred to as astronomical aberration, stellar aberration, or velocity aberration) is a phenomenon where celestial objects exhibit an apparent motion about their true positions based on the velocity of the obser ...

, and introducing basic use of a generalised instrument. His work, ''The Story of the Heavens'', is mentioned in the "Ithaca" chapter of

Ulysses Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses may also refer ...

. His lectures, articles and books (e.g. ''Starland'' and ''The Story of the Heavens'') were mostly popular and simple in style.

Death

He died in Cambridge and was buried at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge, with his wife, Lady Francis Elizabeth Ball. Their children were: Frances Amelia, Robert Steele, William Valentine (later Sir), Mary Agnetta, Charles Rowan Hamilton, and Randall Gresley (later Colonel). ''Reminiscences and Letters of Sir Robert Ball'' by his son W.V. Ball was published in 1915 by Cassell & Company. Minor planet 4809 Robertball is named in his honor. He was the 38th President of the

Birmingham and Midland Institute The Birmingham and Midland Institute (popularly known as the Midland Institute) (), is an institution concerned with the promotion of education and learning in Birmingham, England. It is now based on Margaret Street in Birmingham city centr ...

, which holds The Sir Robert Ball Library, the library of The Society for the History of Astronomy.

Lectures

Ball became celebrated for his popular lectures on science. He gave an estimated 2500 lectures between 1875 and 1910 in towns and cities across Britain and Ireland. In 1881, 1887, 1892, 1898 and 1900 he was invited to deliver the

Royal Institution Christmas Lecture The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic each, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including you ...

, ''Astronomy''; ''Astronomy'' and ''Great Chapters from the Book of Nature''. During the Lent term of 1900, he gave a lecture entitled ''The Eternal Stars'' to the Junior School section of

Monkton Combe School Monkton Combe School is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school), in the village of Monkton Combe near Bath in Somerset, England. History Monkton Combe School was founded in 1868 by the Revd. Francis Pocock, a former curate ...

in Combe Down, which was reported in the school magazine, The Magpie, 2 March 1900.The Magpie Magazine, Vol 1, No 2, March 1900, Monkton Combe Junior School

Arms

References

External links

* * * * G.L. Herries-Davie
Sir R.S. Ball
from

Discoveries
klima-luft.de. Accessed 19 December 2022.
Sir Robert Ball Library
societyforthehistoryofastronomy.com. Accessed 19 December 2022. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Robert Stawell 1840 births 1913 deaths Academics of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Robert Stawell Directors of Dunsink Observatory Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Bachelor Lowndean Professors of Astronomy and Geometry Scientists from Dublin (city) Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society Scholars of Trinity College Dublin 19th-century Irish astronomers 20th-century Irish astronomers International members of the American Philosophical Society