John Knox (meteorologist)
Encyclopedia
John Knox is a meteorologist who researches clear-air turbulence (CAT) and who also received media attention for discussing ways of calculating the mathematical constant
e
, together with inventor Harlan J. Brothers
.
Knox grew up in Birmingham, AL, where as a high-school senior at Huffman High in Birmingham he was honored as a U.S. Presidential Scholar. He went to college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and received his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a post-doctoral fellow at NASA
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
, and taught meteorology at Valparaiso University
in Indiana
before moving to the University of Georgia in 2001.
In 1997, Brothers sent some college-level expression for e to National Public Radio's program "Science Friday". Knox's wife Pam, an intern at "Science Friday" during Knox's post-doc at NASA/GISS, told them to Knox, who confirmed them. Together, they derived several formulae to calculate e. The formulae involve applying Bernoulli
's standard result that (1 + 1/n) n approximates e when n becomes large, to the formula
, which is the basis of the popular bilinear transform
.
Since 1995 Knox has performed research on clear-air turbulence (CAT), in particular CAT forecasting. In 2008, he co-authored (with Don McCann, and Paul Williams of the University of Reading) an article in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences describing a new method of CAT forecasting that received international media attention. In 2010, Knox was honored by the National Weather Association with the T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award for his CAT forecasting research.
Knox writes popular articles and books about meteorology, including the award-winning Meteorology: Understanding the Atmosphere with Steven A. Ackerman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Knox is currently an Assistant Professor in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia.
Mathematical constant
A mathematical constant is a special number, usually a real number, that is "significantly interesting in some way". Constants arise in many different areas of mathematics, with constants such as and occurring in such diverse contexts as geometry, number theory and calculus.What it means for a...
e
E (mathematical constant)
The mathematical constant ' is the unique real number such that the value of the derivative of the function at the point is equal to 1. The function so defined is called the exponential function, and its inverse is the natural logarithm, or logarithm to base...
, together with inventor Harlan J. Brothers
Harlan J. Brothers
Harlan J. Brothers is an inventor, mathematician, and musician based in Branford, Connecticut.- Life and work :In 1997, while examining the sequence of counting numbers raised to their own power , Brothers discovered some simple algebraic formulas that yielded the number 2.71828..., the universal...
.
Knox grew up in Birmingham, AL, where as a high-school senior at Huffman High in Birmingham he was honored as a U.S. Presidential Scholar. He went to college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and received his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a post-doctoral fellow at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies , at Columbia University in New York City, is a component laboratory of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Earth-Sun Exploration Division and a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University...
, and taught meteorology at Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
before moving to the University of Georgia in 2001.
In 1997, Brothers sent some college-level expression for e to National Public Radio's program "Science Friday". Knox's wife Pam, an intern at "Science Friday" during Knox's post-doc at NASA/GISS, told them to Knox, who confirmed them. Together, they derived several formulae to calculate e. The formulae involve applying Bernoulli
Bernoulli
The Bernoullis were a family of traders and scholars from Basel, Switzerland. The founder of the family, Leon Bernoulli, immigrated to Basel from Antwerp in Flanders in the 16th century, fleeing Spanish oppression....
's standard result that (1 + 1/n) n approximates e when n becomes large, to the formula
, which is the basis of the popular bilinear transformBilinear transform
The bilinear transform is used in digital signal processing and discrete-time control theory to transform continuous-time system representations to discrete-time and vice versa....
.
Since 1995 Knox has performed research on clear-air turbulence (CAT), in particular CAT forecasting. In 2008, he co-authored (with Don McCann, and Paul Williams of the University of Reading) an article in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences describing a new method of CAT forecasting that received international media attention. In 2010, Knox was honored by the National Weather Association with the T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award for his CAT forecasting research.
Knox writes popular articles and books about meteorology, including the award-winning Meteorology: Understanding the Atmosphere with Steven A. Ackerman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Knox is currently an Assistant Professor in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia.