mathematics

Thomas Henry Havelock

Thomas Henry Havelock is a mathematics 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 Thomas Henry Havelock rather than just read about it. In short: Sir Thomas Henry Havelock FRS (24 June 1877 – 1 August 1968) was an English applied mathematician, hydrodynamicist and mathematical physicist. He is known for Havelock's law (1907).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Sir Thomas Henry Havelock FRS (24 June 1877 – 1 August 1968) was an English applied mathematician, hydrodynamicist and mathematical physicist. He is known for Havelock's law (1907). Havelock was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. At the age of sixteen, he entered Durham College of Physical Science. (Durham College of Physical Science was renamed Armstrong College in 1904.) He matriculated in 1897 at St John's College, Cambridge and graduated there B.A. in 1900 and M.A. in 1904. From 1903 to 1909 he was a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. He was a professor of applied mathematics at Armstrong College from 1914 until his retirement in 1945. (In the 1930s Armstrong College became part of King's College, Durham, which in the 1960s became part of Newcastle University.)

Havelock's law Relationship between the refractive index n {\displaystyle n} and the wavelength λ {\displaystyle \lambda } of a homogeneous material that transmits light:

k = B λ {\displaystyle k=B\ \lambda } n {\displaystyle n}

/ ( n − 1 ) 2 {\displaystyle /{(n-1)^{2}}} , where

k {\displaystyle k} = constant for the material at a given temperature

B {\displaystyle B} = Kerr constant of the material (The Kerr constant is approximately proportional to the absolute temperature.)

λ {\displaystyle \lambda } = wavelength of the material

n {\displaystyle n} = refractive index of the material

Awards and honours 1914 – F.R.S. 1956 – William Froude Gold Medal of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects 1957 – Knighthood 1960 - Honorary doctorate from the University of Hamburg

Selected publications Havelock, T. H. (1908). "The propagation of groups of waves in dispersive media, with application to waves on water produced by a travelling disturbance". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character. 81 (549): 398–430. Bibcode:1908RSPSA..81..398H. doi:10.1098/rspa.1908.0097. JSTOR 93014. Propagation of disturbances in dispersive media. Cambridge tracts in mathematics and mathematical physics; no. 17. Cambridge University Press. 1914. Havelock, T. H. (1917). "Some cases of wave motion due to a submerged obstacle". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character. 93 (654): 520–532. Bibcode:1917RSPSA..93..520H. doi:10.1098/rspa.1917.0036. JSTOR 93671. Havelock, T. H. (1918). "Periodic irrotational waves of finite height. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 95 (665): 38–51. doi:10.1098/rspa.1918.0046. JSTOR 93648. Havelock, T.H. (1929). "LIX. Forced surface-waves on water". The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. 8 (51): 569–576. doi:10.1080/14786441008564913. Havelock, T.H. (1931). "LII. the stability of motion of rectilinear vortices in ring formation". The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. 11 (70): 617–633. doi:10.1080/14786443109461714. Havelock, T. H. (1931). "The wave resistance of a spheroid. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 131 (817): 275–285. doi:10.1098/rspa.1931.0052. JSTOR 95604. Havelock, T. H. (1934). "The calculation of wave resistance". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character. 144 (853): 514–521. Bibcode:1934RSPSA.144..514H. doi:10.1098/rspa.1934.0065. JSTOR 2935541. Havelock, T. H. (July 1940). "The pressure of water waves upon a fixed obstacle". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 175 (963): 409–421. Bibcode:1940RSPSA.175..409H. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.186.69. doi:10.1098/rspa.1940.0066. S2CID 123137569. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |citeseerx= (help) Havelock, T.H. (1942). "XLVII. The drifting force on a ship among waves". The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. 33 (221): 467–475. doi:10.1080/14786444208521213. Havelock, T.H. (1942). "LXXI. The damping of the heaving and pitching motion of a ship". The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. 33 (224): 666–673. doi:10.1080/14786444208521218.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas Henry Havelock

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas Henry Havelock claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, 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 Thomas Henry Havelock 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 Thomas Henry Havelock 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 Thomas Henry Havelock

In research: Thomas Henry Havelock appears in mathematics 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 Thomas Henry Havelock 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: Thomas Henry Havelock is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1877 births, 1968 deaths, 20th-century English mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas Henry Havelock 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 “Thomas Henry Havelock” →

Affiliate

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

How to study Thomas Henry Havelock in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thomas Henry Havelock 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 Thomas Henry Havelock out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas Henry Havelock in simple terms?

Sir Thomas Henry Havelock FRS (24 June 1877 – 1 August 1968) was an English applied mathematician, hydrodynamicist and mathematical physicist. He is known for Havelock's law (1907).

Why does Thomas Henry Havelock matter?

Because it connects several mathematics 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 Thomas Henry Havelock?

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 Thomas Henry Havelock.