Arthur Scott King
Encyclopedia
Arthur Scott King was an American
physicist
and astrophysicist.
He was born in Jerseyville, Illinois
, the son of Robert Andrew and Miriam Munson King. In 1883 the family moved to Santa Rosa, California
in an attempt to alleviate their son Arthur's chronic asthma
. The asthma cleared up, and in 1890 they moved again to Fresno
.
In 1895 Arthur graduated from Fresno High School
, then attended the University of California, Berkeley
. He developed an interest in physics, and in 1899 he was admitted into their graduate school. He was awarded a Ph.D.
in 1903, the first ever Ph.D. in physics awarded by that university.
After winning a Whiting Fellowship, he spent two years in Germany
, studying at Bonn
and Berlin
and travelling in Europe. His academic interests were focused on spectroscopy
, and at the time these institutions were leaders in the field.
In 1905 he returned to Berkeley and became an instructor. The following year he married Louise Burnett, and the couple would have two sons. The same year he published a paper describing the use of an electric furnace for use in spectroscopy.
He was offered a position at Mt. Wilson Observatory in 1907, and took his leave from Berkeley. He spent much of the remainder of his career studying the spectra of elements and molecules, with particular focus on rare earth element
s. He also performed studies of meteor
s, including their spectra
and directional paths. In 1929, he collaborated with Dr. Raymond T. Birge
to discover the isotope
Carbon-13
, based on differences in the spectrum.
Between 1901 and his retirement he published well over 200 papers in scientific journals. He served as president of the American Meteorical Society for a period, and also as president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
in 1941. In 1943 he retired, but he became involved in war research at CalTech
. There he studied the ballistics of torpedo
es launched from aircraft. Finally in 1957, with his health failing, he died in Pasadena, California
.
The crater King
on the far side of the Moon
was co-named for him and Edward S. King
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and astrophysicist.
He was born in Jerseyville, Illinois
Jerseyville, Illinois
Jerseyville is a city in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 8,465. It is the county seat of Jersey County, and is also the largest city in the county. The city's current mayor is Richard Perdun.Jerseyville is a part of Southern...
, the son of Robert Andrew and Miriam Munson King. In 1883 the family moved to Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
in an attempt to alleviate their son Arthur's chronic asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
. The asthma cleared up, and in 1890 they moved again to Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
.
In 1895 Arthur graduated from Fresno High School
Fresno High School
Fresno High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fresno, California. Fresno High is the oldest high school in the Fresno metropolitan area and one of the few International Baccalaureate schools; in addition it continues to be the most populous and most diverse campus in Fresno. Dr....
, then attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He developed an interest in physics, and in 1899 he was admitted into their graduate school. He was awarded a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1903, the first ever Ph.D. in physics awarded by that university.
After winning a Whiting Fellowship, he spent two years in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, studying at Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and travelling in Europe. His academic interests were focused on spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
, and at the time these institutions were leaders in the field.
In 1905 he returned to Berkeley and became an instructor. The following year he married Louise Burnett, and the couple would have two sons. The same year he published a paper describing the use of an electric furnace for use in spectroscopy.
He was offered a position at Mt. Wilson Observatory in 1907, and took his leave from Berkeley. He spent much of the remainder of his career studying the spectra of elements and molecules, with particular focus on rare earth element
Rare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
s. He also performed studies of meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
s, including their spectra
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
and directional paths. In 1929, he collaborated with Dr. Raymond T. Birge
Raymond Thayer Birge
Raymond Thayer Birge was a physicist. Born in Brooklyn, New York, into an academic scientific family, Birge obtained his Doctor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1913. In the same year he married Irene A. Walsh. The Birges had two children, Carolyn Elizabeth Raymond Thayer...
to discover the isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
Carbon-13
Carbon-13
Carbon-13 is a natural, stable isotope of carbon and one of the environmental isotopes. It makes up about 1.1% of all natural carbon on Earth.- Detection by mass spectrometry :...
, based on differences in the spectrum.
Between 1901 and his retirement he published well over 200 papers in scientific journals. He served as president of the American Meteorical Society for a period, and also as president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
in 1941. In 1943 he retired, but he became involved in war research at CalTech
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. There he studied the ballistics of torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es launched from aircraft. Finally in 1957, with his health failing, he died in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
The crater King
King (crater)
King is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, and can not be viewed directly from Earth. It forms a pair with Ibn Firnas, which is only slightly larger and is attached to the northeast rim of King...
on the far side of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
was co-named for him and Edward S. King
Edward Skinner King
Edward Skinner King was an American astronomer.In 1887 he graduated from Hamilton College and joined the staff of the Harvard Observatory, where he supervised the photographic imaging and related work. He became a pioneer and authority on the process of photographic photometry...
.
External links
The following was used extensively as a reference:- Arthur S. King by Robert B. King.