Michael S. Longuet-Higgins
| Michael S. Longuet-Higgins | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 December 1925 Lenham, England |
| Died |
26 February 2016 (aged 90) Cambridge, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Fields |
Mathematics Fluid Dynamics Oceanography |
| Institutions |
Cambridge University University of California, San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography |
| Alma mater |
Trinity College, Cambridge Winchester College |
| Known for |
Microseisms Fluid Dynamics Rhombo blocks Longuet-Higgins point Longuet-Higgins circle |
| Notable awards |
Rayleigh Prize for Mathematics (1950) International Coastal Engineering Award (1984) Oceanography Award (1990) Acoustical Society of America (2002) |
Michael Selwyn Longuet-Higgins FRS (December 8, 1925 – February 26, 2016) was a mathematician and oceanographer at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), Cambridge University, England and Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego, USA. He was the younger brother of H. Christopher Longuet-Higgins.
Longuet-Higgins introduced the theory of the origin of microseisms[1] and is the inventor of Rhombo blocks.[2]
Education and career
Longuet-Higgins studied at Winchester College with Freeman Dyson from 1937 to 1941. He graduated in mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1946, with a Ph.D. in geophysics in 1951. From 1969 to 1989 he served as a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Cambridge.
His research areas include both pure mathematics (projective geometry, polytopes, random functions and surfaces) and applied mathematics (fluid dynamics, microseisms, the generation of ocean waves by wind, the dynamics of bubbles, sonoluminescence, wave breaking, and steep waves).
Personal
His recreations include music, gardening, and educational toys: in 1953 he wrote a scientific paper on the properties of the Slinky.[3] He is widowed, with four children.
Books
- Longuet-Higgins, M. S. (2013). Sajjadi, S. G., ed. Dynamics of Water Waves – Selected Papers of Michael Longuet-Higgins. Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering 35. World Scientific. 3 Volumes, 2372 pp. ISBN 978-981-4322-51-5.
References
Notes
- ↑ Longuet-Higgins, M. S. (1950). "A theory of the origin of microseisms". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 243: 1–35. Bibcode:1950RSPTA.243....1L. doi:10.1098/rsta.1950.0012.
- ↑ "Rhombo blocks on my pentagonal coffee table". Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ↑ Longuet-Higgins, Michael. "On Slinky: the dynamics of a loose, heavy spring" (PDF). Retrieved 13 August 2015.
Other
- "Professor Michael S. Longuet-Higgins". National Oceanography Centre. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
- "Michael Longuet-Higgins – Mathematician and Oceanographer". Retrieved 2014-07-10.
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