physics

Stephen Butterworth

Stephen Butterworth 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 Stephen Butterworth rather than just read about it. In short: Stephen Butterworth (1885–1958) was a British physicist who invented the filter that bears his name, a class of electrical circuits that separates electrical signals of different frequencies. Biography Stephen Butterworth was born on 11 August 1885 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England (a town located about 10 miles north of the city of Manchester).

Key takeaways

Stephen Butterworth belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reproduce the core statement of Stephen Butterworth from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Stephen Butterworth (1885–1958) was a British physicist who invented the filter that bears his name, a class of electrical circuits that separates electrical signals of different frequencies.

Biography Stephen Butterworth was born on 11 August 1885 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England (a town located about 10 miles north of the city of Manchester). He was the son of Alexander Butterworth, a postman, and Elizabeth (maiden name Wynn). He was the second of four children. In 1904, he entered the Victoria University of Manchester, from which he received, in 1907, both a Bachelor of Science degree in physics (first class) and a teacher's certificate (first class). In 1908 he received a Master of Science degree in physics. For the next 11 years he was a physics lecturer at the Manchester Municipal College of Technology. He subsequently worked for several years at the National Physical Laboratory, where he did theoretical and experimental work for the determination of standards of electrical inductance. In 1921 he joined the Admiralty's Research Laboratory. Unfortunately, the classified nature of his work prohibited the publication of much of his research there. Nevertheless, it is known that he worked in a wide range of fields. For example, he determined the electromagnetic field around submarine cables carrying alternating current, and he investigated underwater explosions and the stability of torpedoes. In 1939, he was a "Principal Scientific Officer" at the Admiralty Research Laboratory in the Admiralty's Scientific Research and Experiment Department. During World War II, he investigated both magnetic mines and the degaussing of ships (as a means of protecting them from magnetic mines). In 1942 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. In 1945 he retired from the Admiralty Research Laboratory. He died on 28 October 1958 at his home in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England at the age of 73.

Publications S. Butterworth (December 1911) "On the vibration galvanometer and its application to inductance bridges," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 24, pages 75–94. S. Butterworth (December 1911) "A method of measuring small inductances," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 24, pages 210–214. S. Butterworth (December 1912) "On the evaluation of certain combinations of the Ber, Bei and allied functions," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 25, pages 294–297. S. Butterworth (December 1913) "On a null method of testing vibration galvanometers," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 26, pages 264–273. S. Butterworth (December 1914) "On the self-induction of solenoids of appreciable winding depths," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 27, pages 371–383. S. Butterworth (December 1914) "On electrically-maintained vibrations," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 27, pages 410–424. S. Butterworth (December 1919) "On the self-inductance of single-layer flat coils," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 32, pages 31–37. S. Butterworth (December 1919) "The maintenance of a vibrating system by means of a triode valve," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 32, pages 345–360. S. Butterworth (December 1920) "Capacity and eddy current effects in inductometers," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 33, pages 312–354. S. Butterworth (December 1921) "On the use of Anderson's bridge for the measurement of the variations of the capacity and effective resistance of a condenser with frequency" Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 34, pages 1–7. S. Butterworth (December 1921) "Notes on Earth Capacity Effects in Alternating-Current Bridges," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 34, pages 8–16. S. Butterworth (1922) "III. Eddy-current losses in cylindrical conductors, with special applications to the alternating current resistances of short coils," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series A, vol. 222, pages 57–100. S. Butterworth (1924) "Note on the alternating current resistance of single layer coils," Physical Review, vol. 23, pages 752–755. S. Butterworth (1924) "The distribution of the magnetic field and return current round a submarine cable carrying alternating current. Part 2," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, vol. 224, pages 141–184. S. Butterworth (1 April 1925) "On the alternating current resistance of solenoidal coils," Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, vol. 107, no. 744, pages 693–715. S. Butterworth (July 1925) "The high-frequency copper losses in inductance coils", Experimental Wireless and the Wireless Engineer, vol. 2, no. 22, pages 613–616. S. Butterworth, A. B. Wood, and E. H. Lakey (October 1926) "The use of a resonant shunt with an Einthoven string galvanometer," Journal of Scientific Instruments, vol. 4, no. 1, pages 8–18. S. Butterworth (1926) "Effective resistance of inductance coils at radio frequencies," Experimental Wireless and the Wireless Engineer, vol. 3, pages 203, 267, 417 and 483. S. Butterworth (1926) "Designing low-loss receiving coils," Wireless World, vol. 19, pages 754 and 811. S. Butterworth (January 1929) "The high frequency resistance of toroidal coils," Experimental Wireless and the Wireless Engineer, vol. 6, pages 13–16. S. Butterworth (November 1929) "Note on the apparent demodulation of a weak station by a stronger one," Experimental Wireless and the Wireless Engineer, vol. 6, no. 74, page 619. S. Butterworth (1930) "On the theory of filter amplifiers," Experimental Wireless and the Wireless Engineer, vol. 7, pp. 536–541. Available: https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/downloads/On_the_Theory_of_Filter_Amplifiers.pdf S. Butterworth and F.D. Smith (1 March 1931) "The equivalent circuit of the magnetostriction oscillator," Proceedings of the Physical Society of London, vol. 43, no. 2, pages 166–185.

Patents Stephen Butterworth and Leonard O. Cook, "Suspensions for deflectional instruments". British patent number: GB 433,080 (filed: 25 April 1934; published: 8 August 1935).

Footnotes

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stephen Butterworth

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Stephen Butterworth 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 Stephen Butterworth 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 Stephen Butterworth 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 Stephen Butterworth

In research: Stephen Butterworth 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 Stephen Butterworth 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: Stephen Butterworth is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1885 births, 1958 deaths, 20th-century British physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stephen Butterworth 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.

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How to study Stephen Butterworth in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Stephen Butterworth means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Stephen Butterworth in simple terms?

Stephen Butterworth (1885–1958) was a British physicist who invented the filter that bears his name, a class of electrical circuits that separates electrical signals of different frequencies. Biography Stephen Butterworth was born on 11 August 1885 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England (a town located a…

Why does Stephen Butterworth 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 Stephen Butterworth?

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 Stephen Butterworth.