physics

Henry Coddington

Henry Coddington is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Henry Coddington rather than just read about it. In short: Henry Coddington (1798/9, Oldbridge, County Meath — 3 March 1845, Rome) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, fellow and tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge and Church of England clergyman. Life Henry Coddington was the son of Latham Coddington, Rector of Timolin, Kildare.

Key takeaways

Henry Coddington belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Henry Coddington to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Henry Coddington from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Henry Coddington (1798/9, Oldbridge, County Meath — 3 March 1845, Rome) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, fellow and tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge and Church of England clergyman.

Life Henry Coddington was the son of Latham Coddington, Rector of Timolin, Kildare. Admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1816, Coddingtion graduated BA as Senior Wrangler in 1820, and first Smith's prizeman; proceeded M.A. in 1823, and obtained a fellowship and sub-tutorship in his college. He retired to the college living of Ware in Hertfordshire, and in the discharge of his clerical duties burst a blood-vessel, thereby fatally injuring his health. Coddington was vicar of Ware, Hertfordshire from 1832 to 1845. Advised to try a southern climate, he travelled abroad, and died at Rome 3 March 1845.

Family He married a daughter of Dr. Batten, principal of Haileybury College, and left seven children.

Legacy He wrote chiefly on optics, in particular An Elementary Treatise on Optics. He also made the Coddington magnifier popular. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February, 1829.

Awards His name occurs on the first list of members of the British Association. He was one of the earliest members of the Royal Astronomical Society, was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Royal Society, and sat on the council of the latter body in 1831–2.

See also Circle of confusion Pencil (optics)

References

Attribution This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Clerke, Agnes Mary (1887). "Coddington, Henry". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 11. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 202–203.

Sources W. W. Rouse Ball, A History of the Study of Mathematics at Cambridge University, 1889, repr. Cambridge University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-108-00207-3, p. 131

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Henry Coddington

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Henry Coddington claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Henry Coddington before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Henry Coddington ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Henry Coddington

In research: Henry Coddington appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Henry Coddington in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Henry Coddington is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1790s births, 1845 deaths, Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Henry Coddington outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Henry Coddington” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Henry Coddington in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Henry Coddington means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Henry Coddington out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Henry Coddington in simple terms?

Henry Coddington (1798/9, Oldbridge, County Meath — 3 March 1845, Rome) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, fellow and tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge and Church of England clergyman. Life Henry Coddington was the son of Latham Coddington, Rector of Timolin, Kildare.

Why does Henry Coddington matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Henry Coddington?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Henry Coddington.