Samuel Jackson Barnett was an American physicist

Physics

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

. He was a professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 at the University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

.

Barnett was born in Woodson County, Kansas

Woodson County, Kansas

Woodson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 3,309...

, the son of a minister. In 1894, he received a B.S. in physics from the University of Denver

University of Denver

The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....

 and received his Ph.D. from Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

 in 1898. From 1898 to 1918 he taught at several universities from 1918 to 1926 and joined the Carnegie Institution for Science

Carnegie Institution for Science

The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....

 in Washington, DC, and in 1926 was a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. He worked mainly on electromagnetism

Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...

, and discovered the Barnett effect

Barnett Effect

The Barnett effect is the magnetization of an uncharged body when spun on its axis. It was discovered by American physicist Samuel Barnett in 1915....

. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

 in 1921.

Barnett 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...

, about a month after the death of his wife, Lelia Jefferson Harvie Barnett.

Works

• Elements of electro-magnetic theory, 1903
• Theories of magnetism, 1923
• Le Magnetisme, 1940