Lord Rayleigh

Born John William Strutt in Maldon, Essex on November 12, 1842, Lord Rayleigh demonstrated exceptional mathematical and experimental genius at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating as Senior Wrangler and First Smith's Prizeman in 1865. In 1871, he solved one of physics' most poetic natural mysteries by formulating the theory of "Rayleigh scattering," demonstrating mathematically that atmospheric gas molecules scatter shorter wavelengths of sunlight (blue and violet) far more effectively than longer wavelengths (red and yellow), explaining definitively why the daytime sky appears blue. In 1877–1878, Rayleigh published "The Theory of Sound," a two-volume masterwork that unified wave mechanics, vibration, and acoustic resonance, remaining the definitive reference work in acoustics for over a century. Succeeding James Clerk Maxwell as Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge in 1879, Rayleigh established precise electrical measurement standards for the ohm, ampere, and volt. In the early 1890s, meticulous density measurements of atmospheric nitrogen compared to chemically produced nitrogen revealed a mysterious discrepancy; collaborating with Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay, Rayleigh isolated an entirely new, chemically inert gaseous element in 1894: Argon (from the Greek for "idle"). For this historic breakthrough, Rayleigh was awarded the 1904 Nobel Prize in Physics (with Ramsay receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry). Serving as President of the Royal Society and Chancellor of Cambridge University, Lord Rayleigh stood as one of the towering architects of modern experimental physics.