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George Stokes

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description George Stokes Overview

George Stokes was a prominent 19th-century British physicist and mathematician. His work significantly advanced the field of fluid dynamics, particularly through the development of Stokes’ Law which describes drag on small spheres in fluids. He also made important contributions to optics and mathematical physics. Stokes' research remains foundational for scientists and engineers involved in areas like hydraulics, aerodynamics, and materials science.

help George Stokes FAQ

What does Stokes' law calculate?

Stokes' law gives the viscous drag on a small sphere moving slowly through a fluid, commonly written as 6πμRv. George Stokes derived the result in 1851 for low-Reynolds-number flow, and it is used to estimate particle settling and fluid viscosity.

How can Stokes' law measure viscosity?

If the size, density, and terminal speed of a small sphere are known, the equation can be rearranged to estimate the fluid's viscosity. This is why Stokes' law is useful in laboratory viscometry and studies of suspended particles.

Is Stokes' theorem related to Stokes' law?

They are named after the same mathematician and physicist, George Gabriel Stokes, but they describe different ideas. Stokes' theorem connects circulation around a closed boundary with the curl across the surface inside it.

What position did George Stokes hold at Cambridge?

Stokes became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge in 1849 and held the chair until his death in 1903. His 54-year tenure was the longest in the history of that professorship at the time.