James Thomson Bottomley
Dr James Thomson Bottomley FRSE FRS LLD (1845 -1926) was a Irish-born physicist. He is noted for his work on thermal radiation and on his creation of 4-figure mathematic tables for logarithms, which remained in general use until the late 20th century (when superceded by calculators and computers).
Life
He was born in Fort Breda, County Down in Ireland, on 10 January 1845, the son of William Bottomley JP, a merchant in nearby Belfast. His mother, Anna Thomson, was the sister of William Thomson, Lord Kelvin,[1] a connection which served him well throughout his life.
He was educated at Queens College, Belfast and then Trinity College, Dublin, originally studying Natural Philosophy and Chemistry.[2] His first role was as assistant to Prof Thomas Andrews in Belfast. He then moved to King’s College, London to act as a Demonstrator, first in Chemistry and then in Physics.[3] In 1870, he became a Demonstrator in Physics at Glasgow University. In 1875 this was retitled the Arnott and Thomson Demonstrator in Experimental Physics, following a bequeath from the widow of Dr Neil Arnott.
In 1872 his uncle, Lord Kelvin, proposed him as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and this was duly accepted. In June 1888 he was additionally elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in London.[4]
In 1899, again with his uncle, the prestigious Glasgow engineering firm of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird was formed.[5] He became its chairman in 1908. In 1913 it became a Limited Company. The company specialised in gauges and meters but also made loudspeakers and phones.
He died in Glasgow on the 18th May 1926.[6] The company of Kelvin, Bottomley and Baird continued after his death (often abbreviated to K.B.B.), surviving until 1947.
Family
He married twice: firstly to Annie Elizabeth Heap of Manchester; secondly to Eliza Jennet Blandy, daughter of Charles R Blandy of Madeira.[7]
Apart from Lord Kelvin being an uncle, Kelvin's elder brother, James Thomson was also an uncle.
Publications
- Dynamics: Theoretical Mechanics. 1877
- On radiation from dull and bright surfaces. London 1887
- On Thermal Radiation in Absolute Measure. 1888
- Four figure mathematical tables: comprising logarithmic and trigonometrical tables, and tables of squares, square roots, and reciprocals.
References
- ↑ http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH24570&type=P
- ↑ http://genealogy.links.org/links-cgi/readged?/home/ben/camilla-genealogy/current+c-bottomley62562+2-2-0-1-0
- ↑ http://genealogy.links.org/links-cgi/readged?/home/ben/camilla-genealogy/current+c-bottomley62562+2-2-0-1-0
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Kelvin,_Bottomley_and_Baird
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ http://genealogy.links.org/links-cgi/readged?/home/ben/camilla-genealogy/current+c-bottomley62562+2-2-0-1-0