319:. He complained that some scientists rejected the worthiness of experimentation with photoelectricity out of ignorance, a situation he described as "madness." He was the most insightful of 19th century experimenters in suggesting that photocells transformed energy without being changed themselves. He also made the key point that one should not assume surfaces need to be black to absorb usefully the most energy and that undiscovered surface properties might absorb visible light or other unknown wavelengths better, so scientists could not comment on the efficacy of light-sensitive cells without further scientific testing. These posited differences in energy were in fact later identified through the work of
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after FitzGerald was unable to provide a suitable one. The following August, Minchin provided Monck with improved cells but returned to
England because of bad weather. More clement conditions on the morning of 28 August enabled Monck and his neighbour Stephen Dixon to measure the "striking" effect of
167:
in 1862, matriculating under the name George
Minchin Smith, and won the first university scholarship in mathematics in 1865, and the Lloyd exhibition in mathematics. In 1866, he graduated, still as G. M. Smith, with a Gold Medal in mathematics. By then he had assumed the name George Minchin Minchin,
303:
rods; Minchin became skilled at creating photovoltaic cells made from selenium. His idea was to have a bundle of many insulated wires in parallel, their ends light-sensitised with selenium to detect an image, and for the far ends to emit a proportional level of light registered by a photographic
264:'s tube with iron filings which detected the waves operated similarly. The sensitivity of Minchin's photo-electric cell apparatus was tested through a number of thick walls and outside as far as the woods at the edge of the RIEC lawn. A light switch was successfully operated remotely.
171:
The Smiths were a
Protestant family. George Minchin Smith changed his name to George Minchin Minchin evidently because his father had converted to Roman Catholicism and married a Catholic, Marie O’Neill, possibly his housekeeper, with whom he already had three children.
215:. Minchin wrote many mathematical and scientific texts and his clarity of exposition was lauded; he wrote and lectured about the importance of using clear English when producing texts for students. He also encouraged using "a touch of humour," citing the work of
211:. As a lecturer at RIEC, he was described as "brilliant", much admired for his wit and ability to draw in pupils and colleagues alike with otherwise dull topics. He maintained a regular correspondence, particularly with
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He resisted his colleagues' and students' entreaties to scale up his experiments to create something of practical usage, preferring his work to be considered as purely for learning. RIEC closed in 1906 and he moved to
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as exemplars. He wrote humorous works including comical mathematical poems. He has been credited with introducing the term 'potential function' with reference to applications in physics and engineering, but
228:
had in fact done so as early as 1828. He was noted for being one of the
College's best tennis players (he had also been a cricketer). He loved birds and birdwatching and kept a few in cages in his rooms.
384:, and acknowledging Monck's measurements. It is believed he visited Wilson's home in 1894 and 1897, and he certainly did in September 1895 and January 1896, but no other observations were recorded.
156:, placed him into the care of his uncle (by marriage) on his mother's side, David Bell. A literary scholar, Bell ran a school in Dublin and was uncle to another pupil at the school, one
362:. In April 1895, Wilson and Minchin operated the 2-foot (60 cm) reflector, and FitzGerald the galvanometer below. Minchin published the results of a few days' observations in the
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334:– who had built an observatory with a 7.5 inch (19 cm) refractor at his home in Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin. For the experiment, Monck ordered a new
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The electrical measurement of starlight. Observations made at the
Observatory of Daramona House, Co. Westmeath, in April, 1895. Preliminary report.
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receiving his MA in 1870, under the new name, and then Madden's
Premium in both 1871 and 1872 for his performance in the Fellowship examinations.
564:
The electrical measurement of starlight. Observations made at the
Observatory of Daramona House, Co. Westmeath, in January, 1896. Second report.
284:'s) coherer as "microphonic" radiation detectors (the others being mechanical, electrical, thermal, chemical and physiological). One year later
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656:(Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character, volume 81, no. 544)
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This electrometer type was invented by George
Minchin and developed by others, in this case the tilted gold-leaf electrometer of
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152:, Ireland to George Smith and Alice Minchin. His mother died when he was nine years old. His father, an attorney who lived in
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In 1877, Minchin began work on using photoelectricity with a view to transmitting images. Four years earlier,
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Minchin invented a metrological device, the absolute sine-electrometer, a very sensitive development of the
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835:"The Gradys - from Manchester, England to Woonsocket, R. I.:Information about George Minchin Smith, Senior"
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in London and the latter invited him to try his cells at the new observatory at his home, Daramona House,
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with light-sensitive dyes, a technique he developed until he was able to detect "Hertzian waves" (
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A Treatise on statics, containing some of the fundamental propositions in electrostatics.
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or R.I.E. College) on the outskirts of London, and the same year he was elected to the
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Baptisms in the Parish of
Kilmore on Valentia in the County of Kerry in the year 1845
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Stellar
Photometry: Current Techniques and Future Developments: IAU Colloquium 136
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179:. They had two children, George Robert Neville in 1888 and Una Eleanor in 1890.
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and George William Clarkson Kaye, marketed by Cambridge Scientific Instruments.
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and was a prolific author of mathematical and scientific textbooks and papers.
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The Action of Electromagnetic Radiation on Films containing Metallic Powders
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The Determination of Electromotive Force in Absolute Electrostatic Measure.
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Some publications ran to several editions, continuing until at least 1924.
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280:, Lodge tabled Branly's filings, Minchins impulsion cell and his own (and
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Keen to test his new cells, in late 1891 Minchin contacted a friend —
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Continuing his work, Minchin developed a selenium photocathode on an
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1063:"The Development of the Coherer And Some Theories of Coherer Action"
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128:: the first-ever celestial photometric measurements were made using
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In 1875 Minchin became the Professor of Applied Mathematics at the
518:(Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, volume 11, no. 1)
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In 1887 Minchin married Emma Fawcett of Lecarrow (or Strandhill),
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that he developed for the purpose. He invented the absolute sine-
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The student's dynamics : comprising statics and kinetics.
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demonstrated wireless telegraphy with the usage of a coherer.
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Bell's Science Series. Edited by P.M. Groom and G.M. Minchin.
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He died on 23 March 1914, survived by his wife and children.
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1125:. Cambridge, Ma.: Harvard University Press. pp. 19–20.
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272:, and developed an improved 'Branly' tube that he named a
160:. Minchin's notable mathematical ability was encouraged.
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428:(London, Longmans, 1877/Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1880-)
722:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 3–4.
1011:"Glossary of Coined Names & Terms Used in Science"
124:. He was a pioneer in the development of astronomical
928:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 887.
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260:) in his "impulsion cell", and he suspected that the
1108:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 30.
926:
Biographical Register of Christ's College, 1505–1905
522:“Nowhere can Mathematics be learned as at Cambridge”
116:(born George Minchin Smith, 1845–1914) was an
20:
1122:
From Space to Earth: The Story of Solar Electricity
716:Butler, C. J.; Elliott, I., eds. (12 August 1993).
642:
Elements of the Differential and Integral Calculus.
144:He was born George Minchin Smith on 25 May 1845 on
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1048:Wireless: From Marconi's Black Box to the Audion
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540:Electromotive Force from the Light of the Stars.
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440:(Scientific American, volume 10 no. 283, 1880)
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410:because of its laboratories and telescopes.
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602:(London, George Bell & Sons, 1900–1909)
596:(London, George Bell & Sons, 1900–1909)
252:, from 1875). Experiments included coating
1079:10.1038/scientificamerican10271917-268supp
748:"Obituary notices: George Minchin Minchin"
534:Hydrostatics and Elementary Hydrokinetics.
1050:. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press. p. 3.
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232:Minchin performed early experiments with
552:The Electrical Measurement of Starlight.
248:(in the latter at the new laboratory of
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139:
994:. London/New York: Macmillan. pp.
941:"The Vices of our Scientific Education"
938:
799:"Obituary Notices of the Royal Society"
648:The Photoelectric Property of Selenium.
548:(Scientific American, volume 73, no.24)
393:Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company
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624:Vectors and Rotors, with Applications.
566:(London, Harrison & Francis, 1896)
1139:from the original on 18 December 2021
1106:Signalling Across Space Without Wires
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1085:from the original on 18 December 2021
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278:Signalling Across Space Without Wires
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650:(Nature, volume 77, nos. 1991, 1993)
560:(London, Taylor & Francis, 1895)
530:(London, Taylor & Francis, 1891)
500:(Nature, volume 37, no. 948/no. 951)
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462:Electrostatic Measurement of E.M.F.
13:
504:General Equations of Fluid Motion.
494:(London/New York, Macmillan, 1887)
452:(Nature, volume 25, no. 638, 1882)
434:(Nature, volume 23, no. 582, 1880)
14:
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1265:20th-century Irish mathematicians
1255:19th-century Irish mathematicians
1194:from the original on 23 July 2018
1027:from the original on 25 July 2018
905:from the original on 25 July 2018
875:from the original on 25 July 2018
865:"Obituary – Mr. G. R. N. Minchin"
815:from the original on 22 July 2018
762:from the original on 23 July 2018
570:Personal Injury from a Fire-ball.
446:(Nature, volume 24 no. 624, 1881)
308:. The efforts were unsuccessful.
16:Irish physicist and mathematician
1235:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
528:Experiments in Photoelectricity.
516:Experiments in Photoelectricity.
432:A General Theorem in Kinematics.
365:Proceedings of the Royal Society
201:Royal Indian Engineering College
102:Royal Indian Engineering College
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674:(Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1912)
668:(Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1912)
618:A New Treatise on the Calculus.
578:(Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1898)
536:(Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1892)
510:Photo-electric Impulsion Cells.
456:The Absolute Sine Electrometer.
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343:and the relative brightness of
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1260:19th-century Irish physicists
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662:(Nature, volume 80, no. 2065)
644:(Nature, volume 72, no. 1854)
638:(Nature, volume 71, no. 1835)
632:(Nature, volume 68, no. 1750)
626:(Nature, volume 68, no. 1774)
620:(Nature, volume 65, no. 1693)
614:(Nature, volume 64, no. 1667)
608:(Nature, volume 64, no. 1653)
606:England's Neglect of Science.
584:(Nature, volume 59, no. 1529)
572:(Nature, volume 53, no. 1358)
554:(Nature, volume 52, no. 1341)
542:(Nature, volume 49, no. 1264)
524:(Nature, volume 43, no. 1103)
512:(Nature, volume 42, no. 1073)
506:(Nature, volume 39, no. 1010)
1250:Scientists from County Kerry
1240:Fellows of the Royal Society
666:A Treatise on Hydrodynamics.
630:The Glorification of Energy.
488:(Nature, volume 34, no. 877)
482:(Nature, volume 34, no. 870)
476:(Science, volume 8, no. 180)
470:(Nature, volume 34, no. 865)
464:(Nature, volume 29, no. 752)
458:(Nature, volume 25, no. 369)
7:
1245:People from Valentia Island
939:Minchin, George M. (1889).
672:A Treatise on Hydrostatics.
400:Fellow of the Royal Society
315:base which was immersed in
209:London Mathematical Society
188:Charles Thomson Rees Wilson
10:
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869:www.motorsportmagazine.com
368:, describing the relative
660:The Teaching of Geometry.
654:Seleno-Aluminium Bridges.
612:Plane and Solid Geometry.
590:(London, Macmillan, 1899)
588:The Teaching of Geometry.
498:Centre of Water Pressure.
246:University College London
213:George Francis FitzGerald
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1159:"George Minchin Minchin"
468:Scientific Nomenclature.
1220:Experimental physicists
1188:www.semanticscholar.org
991:Teaching of Mathematics
582:Geometry Versus Euclid.
576:Geometry for Beginners.
165:Trinity College, Dublin
1104:Lodge, Oliver (1900).
1046:Hong, Sungook (2001).
486:A Manual of Mechanics.
444:A Kinematical Theorem.
389:gold-leaf electroscope
268:read Minchin's paper,
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122:experimental physicist
114:George Minchin Minchin
41:George Minchin Minchin
1119:Perlin, John (2002).
1061:Green, E. C. (1917).
636:Mathematical Drawing.
336:quadrant electrometer
304:film, effectively as
276:. In his publication
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158:Alexander Graham Bell
140:Early life and family
988:Perry, John (1902).
924:Peile, John (1913).
746:A. E. H. L. (1914).
297:photoelectric effect
1184:"George M. Minchin"
1009:Andraos, Dr. John.
957:1889Natur..40..126.
895:"Professor Minchin"
408:New College, Oxford
295:had discovered the
282:David Edward Hughes
250:George Carey Foster
244:, both at RIEC and
221:James Clerk Maxwell
106:New College, Oxford
1018:www.careerchem.com
899:www.myheritage.com
474:Minchin's Statics.
438:Photo-Electricity.
395:, amongst others.
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154:Donnybrook, Dublin
130:photovoltaic cells
120:mathematician and
1163:www.worldcat.org}
839:www.genealogy.com
398:He was elected a
286:Guglielmo Marconi
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67:(1914-03-16)
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1143:27 February
849:15 November
258:radio waves
234:radio waves
163:He entered
98:Employer(s)
74:Nationality
57:25 May 1845
1214:Categories
679:References
370:magnitudes
321:Max Planck
126:photometry
53:1845-05-25
402:in 1895.
313:aluminium
92:physicist
1192:Archived
1137:Archived
1083:Archived
1022:Archived
903:Archived
873:Archived
843:Archived
810:Archived
760:Archived
378:Arcturus
301:selenium
254:platinum
1198:22 July
1168:22 July
1073:: 268.
1031:24 July
975:4053244
953:Bibcode
909:24 July
879:24 July
819:22 July
766:22 July
382:Procyon
374:Regulus
349:Jupiter
317:acetone
274:coherer
1129:
973:
945:Nature
726:
306:pixels
262:Branly
238:x-rays
195:Career
1025:(PDF)
1014:(PDF)
971:S2CID
813:(PDF)
802:(PDF)
758:(1).
345:Venus
203:(aka
118:Irish
78:Irish
1200:2018
1170:2018
1145:2021
1127:ISBN
1091:2020
1033:2018
998:–61.
911:2018
881:2018
851:2019
821:2018
768:2018
756:2–13
724:ISBN
380:and
347:and
341:Moon
339:the
323:and
240:and
219:and
62:Died
47:Born
1075:doi
961:doi
299:on
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