James David Forbes
| James David Forbes | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
20 April 1809 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 31 December 1868 (aged 59) Clifton, Bristol, England |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Fields | Physics Glaciology |
| Institutions | Professor of Natural Philosophy, Edinburgh University (1833–60) Principal of the United College, St Andrews University (1860–8) |
| Alma mater | Edinburgh University |
| Notable awards |
Keith Prize of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1833-5, 1841–3, 1863–5) Rumford Medal of the Royal Society (1838) Gold Medal of the Royal Society (1843) |
| Notes | |
James David Forbes FRS FRSE FGS (20 April 1809 – 31 December 1868) was a Scottish physicist and glaciologist who worked extensively on the conduction of heat and seismology. Forbes was a resident of Edinburgh for most of his life, educated at the University and a professor there from 1833 until he became principal of the United College of St. Andrews in 1859.
He invented the seismometer in 1842.
Forbes was born at 86 George Street in Edinburgh, the fourth son of Sir William Forbes, 7th Baronet, of Monymusk and Pitsligo (1773–1828) and Williamina Belches of Invermay. His brothers were the advocate and agriculturalist Sir John Stuart Hepburn Forbes of Fettercairn and Pitsligo and the banker Charles Forbes.
He entered the University of Edinburgh in 1825, and soon afterwards began to contribute papers to the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal anonymously under the signature "Δ". At the age of nineteen he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and in 1832 he was elected to the Royal Society of London. At this time he maintained correspondence with Sir David Brewster, who encouraged him to pursue an original research in science. A year later he was appointed professor of natural philosophy in Edinburgh University, in succession to Sir John Leslie, and during his tenure of that office, which he did not give up till 1860, he not only proved himself an active and efficient teacher, but also did much to improve the internal conditions of the university. In 1859 he was appointed successor to Brewster in the principalship of the United College of St. Andrews, a position which he held until his death at Clifton in 1868.
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