George Atwood
Encyclopedia
George Atwood was an English
mathematician
who invented a machine
for illustrating the effects of Newton's first law of motion
. He was also a renowned chess
player whose skill for recording many games of his own and of other players, including François-André Danican Philidor
, the leading master of his time, left a valuable historical record for future generations.
Atwood was born in Westminster
, with the date remaining unknown, but presumed to have been shortly before his baptism on 15 October 1745. He attended Westminster School
and in 1765 was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge
. He graduated in 1769 with the rank of third wrangler and was awarded the inaugural first Smith's Prize
. Subsequently he became a fellow and a tutor of the college and in 1776 was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
of London
.
In 1784 he left Cambridge and soon afterwards received from William Pitt the Younger
the office of patent searcher of the customs, which required but little attendance, enabling him to devote a considerable portion of his time to mathematics and physics.
George Atwood died unmarried in Westminster
at the age of 61, and was buried there at St. Margaret's Church
.
Over a century later, a lunar crater was renamed Atwood
in his honour.
, are as follows:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who invented a machine
Atwood machine
The Atwood machine was invented in 1784 by Rev. George Atwood as a laboratory experiment to verify the mechanical laws of motion with constant acceleration...
for illustrating the effects of Newton's first law of motion
Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that form the basis for classical mechanics. They describe the relationship between the forces acting on a body and its motion due to those forces...
. He was also a renowned chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player whose skill for recording many games of his own and of other players, including François-André Danican Philidor
François-André Danican Philidor
François-André Danican Philidor , often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the opéra comique...
, the leading master of his time, left a valuable historical record for future generations.
Atwood was born in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, with the date remaining unknown, but presumed to have been shortly before his baptism on 15 October 1745. He attended Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and in 1765 was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He graduated in 1769 with the rank of third wrangler and was awarded the inaugural first Smith's Prize
Smith's Prize
The Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.- History :...
. Subsequently he became a fellow and a tutor of the college and in 1776 was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1784 he left Cambridge and soon afterwards received from William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
the office of patent searcher of the customs, which required but little attendance, enabling him to devote a considerable portion of his time to mathematics and physics.
George Atwood died unmarried in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
at the age of 61, and was buried there at St. Margaret's Church
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
.
Over a century later, a lunar crater was renamed Atwood
Atwood (crater)
Atwood is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the Mare Fecunditatis, to the northwest of the prominent crater Langrenus. It forms a triple-crater formation with Naonobu attached to the north rim and Bilharz near the west rim. All three were satellite craters of Langrenus before being...
in his honour.
Selected publications
Atwood's published works, exclusive of papers contributed to the Philosophical Transactions, for one of which he obtained the Copley MedalCopley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences"...
, are as follows:
- Analysis of a Course of Lectures on the Principles of Natural Philosophy (Cambridge, 1784).
- Treatise on the Rectilinear Motion and Rotation of Bodies (Cambridge, 1784), which gives some interesting experiments, by means of which mechanical truths can be ocularly exhibited and demonstrated, and describes the machine, since named after Atwood, for verifying experimentally the laws of simple acceleration of motion.
- Review of the Statutes and Ordinances of Assize which have been established in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from the 4th year of King JohnJohn of EnglandJohn , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, 1202, to the 37th of his present Majesty (London, 1801), a work of some historical research. - Dissertation on the Construction and Properties of Arches (London, 1801).
- Chess games recorded by Atwood were published posthumously by George Walker in London in 1835, under the name Selection of Games at Chess, actually played by Philidor and his Contemporaries.