James Jeans
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.031048
It’s the birthday of James Jeans, who was born in 1877 in Southport, England. Jeans studied mathematics at Cambridge University and went on to become a leading British advocate of the new physics of quantum mechanics and general relativity. Among his most lasting contributions is his calculation of the conditions under which a cloud of cosmic gas will collapse under its own gravity to condense and form a star. Jeans was also a keen popularizer of science. In his 1930 book, The Mysterious Universe, he asserted: “Life exists in the universe only because the carbon atom possesses certain exceptional properties.” He could well be right.
Date in History: 11 September 1877
