earth science

William Henry Fitton

William Henry Fitton is a earth science 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 William Henry Fitton rather than just read about it. In short: William Henry Fitton (24 January 1780 – 13 May 1861) was an Irish medical doctor and amateur geologist. Biography Fitton was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College in that city.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

William Henry Fitton (24 January 1780 – 13 May 1861) was an Irish medical doctor and amateur geologist.

Biography Fitton was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College in that city. He gained the senior scholarship in 1798, and graduated in the following year. At this time he began to take an interest in geology and to form a collection of fossils. Having adopted the medical profession, he proceeded in 1808 to Edinburgh, where he attended the lectures of Robert Jameson, and thenceforth his interest in natural history and especially in geology steadily increased. He moved to London in 1809, where he studied medicine and chemistry. In 1811 he presented to the Geological Society of London a description of the geological structure of the vicinity of Dublin, with an account of some rare minerals found in Ireland. He took a medical practice at Northampton in 1812, and for some years the duties of his profession engrossed his time. He was admitted M.D. at Cambridge in 1816. In 1820, having married a lady of means, Fitton settled in London, and devoted himself to geology. His Observations on some of the Strata between the Chalk and the Oxford Oolite, in the South-east of England (Trans. Geol. Soc. ser. 2, vol. iv.) embodied a series of researches extending from 1824 to 1836, and form the memoir known as Fitton's Strata below the Chalk. In this work he established the true succession and relations of the Upper and Lower Greensand, and of the Wealden and Purbeck formations, and elaborated their detailed structure. He had been elected fellow of the Royal Society in 1815, and he was president of the Geological Society of London in 1827–1829, and to which he contributed a number of research publications. His house then became a meeting place for scientific workers, and during his presidency he held a conversazione open on Sunday evenings to all fellows of the Geological Society. From 1817 to 1841 he contributed to the Edinburgh Review many essays on the progress of geological science, and reviews of the groundbreaking books of William Smith (geologist), Charles Lyell, and Roderick Murchison; he also wrote Notes on the Progress of Geology in England for the Philosophical Magazine (1832–1833). Another publication of note was A Geological Sketch of the Vicinity of Hastings (1833). He was awarded the Wollaston Medal by the Geological Society in 1852. This medal is now in the collection of the Geological Museum, Trinity College, Dublin. Around 1825, according to Charles Babbage's autobiography, he invented the thaumatrope, which was later commercially publicised by Dr. John Ayrton Paris (to whom the invention is more usually attributed). He died in London.

Family Fitton had three sisters, Sarah Mary, Elizabeth (fl. 1817–1834) and Susanna. Sarah and Elizabeth wrote Conversations on Botany, which influenced the popularity of botany as a field of scientific study for women.

Notes

References Gass, KC. 2000. Fragments of History. Specialized Quality Publications, Wisconsin Rapids, 41p. Wyse Jackson, Patrick N. 1998. William Henry Fitton (1780–1861) and the Wollaston Medal of 1852. Geoscientist vol. 6, p. 10. Attribution:

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fitton, William Henry". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 440–441.

External links Works by or about William Henry Fitton at Wikisource

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Henry Fitton

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

In research: William Henry Fitton appears in earth science 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 William Henry Fitton 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: William Henry Fitton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1780 births, 1861 deaths, 19th-century British geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Henry Fitton 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 William Henry Fitton in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what William Henry Fitton 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is William Henry Fitton in simple terms?

William Henry Fitton (24 January 1780 – 13 May 1861) was an Irish medical doctor and amateur geologist. Biography Fitton was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College in that city.

Why does William Henry Fitton matter?

Because it connects several earth science 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 William Henry Fitton?

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 William Henry Fitton.