DeWitt Bristol Brace
Encyclopedia
DeWitt Bristol Brace was an US-American physicist
who was known for his optical experiments, especially as regards the relative motion of Earth and the luminiferous aether
.
, prepared for his studies in Lockport
and graduated in 1881 at the Boston University
. Afterwards he spent two years at the Johns Hopkins University
with Henry Augustus Rowland
, and two years at the University of Berlin
under Hermann von Helmholtz
and Gustav Kirchhoff
, where he graduated in 1885. From 1887 to 1888 he was assistant professor at the University of Michigan
and from 1888 to 1905 Professor of Physics
at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
. There, Brace founded the Physics Laboratory, but he fell ill in 1905 and died at the time of opening of the new laboratory which still bears his name.
Brace was mainly concerned with researches on optics
. For example, he invented new types of polarizing filters. He carried out a series of experiments which should determine the state of motion of the earth in the ether ("ether drift"), but the results were all negative. Particularly important was the improved version of an experiment by Lord Rayleigh
, where he demonstrated with great accuracy that the Lorentz contraction does not lead to birefringence
. He also attempted to measure the speed of light
with great precision, but he died in the midst of his work.
Brace was a fellow and vice president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and member of the Council of the American Physical Society
.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who was known for his optical experiments, especially as regards the relative motion of Earth and the luminiferous aether
Luminiferous aether
In the late 19th century, luminiferous aether or ether, meaning light-bearing aether, was the term used to describe a medium for the propagation of light....
.
Life and work
Brace was born in Wilson, New YorkWilson, New York
Wilson is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,213 at the 2000 census. The village is said to be named after Luther Wilson. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, prepared for his studies in Lockport
Lockport
- Places :In Canada:* Lockport, Manitoba* Lockeport, Nova ScotiaIn the United States of America:* Lockport, Illinois* Lockport, Indiana* Lockport, Kentucky in Henry County, Kentucky* Lockport, Louisiana* Lockport , New York...
and graduated in 1881 at the Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. Afterwards he spent two years at the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
with Henry Augustus Rowland
Henry Augustus Rowland
Henry Augustus Rowland was a U.S. physicist. Between 1899 and 1901 he served as the first president of the American Physical Society...
, and two years at the University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
under Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions to several widely varied areas of modern science...
and Gustav Kirchhoff
Gustav Kirchhoff
Gustav Robert Kirchhoff was a German physicist who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects...
, where he graduated in 1885. From 1887 to 1888 he was assistant professor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and from 1888 to 1905 Professor of Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
. There, Brace founded the Physics Laboratory, but he fell ill in 1905 and died at the time of opening of the new laboratory which still bears his name.
Brace was mainly concerned with researches on optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
. For example, he invented new types of polarizing filters. He carried out a series of experiments which should determine the state of motion of the earth in the ether ("ether drift"), but the results were all negative. Particularly important was the improved version of an experiment by Lord Rayleigh
John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, OM was an English physicist who, with William Ramsay, discovered the element argon, an achievement for which he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904...
, where he demonstrated with great accuracy that the Lorentz contraction does not lead to birefringence
Birefringence
Birefringence, or double refraction, is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through certain anisotropic materials, such as crystals of calcite or boron nitride. The effect was first described by the Danish scientist Rasmus Bartholin in 1669, who saw it in calcite...
. He also attempted to measure the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
with great precision, but he died in the midst of his work.
Brace was a fellow and vice president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and member of the Council of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
.
Publications
- On Double Refraction in Matter moving through the Aether (Philosophical Magazine, S. 6., Vol. 7, No. 40., April 1904, pp. 317–329)
- The Ether and moving Matter (Congress of arts and science, universal exposition, St. Louis 1904, (1906), vol. 4, pp. 105–117)
- The Negative Results of Second and Third Order Tests of the "Aether Drift," and Possible First Order Methods (Philosophical Magazine (1905), vol. 10, pp. 71–80)
- The Aether "Drift" and Rotary Polarization. (Phil. Mag., London, (Ser. 6), 10, 1905, pp. 383–396)
- A Repetition of Fizeau's Experiment on the Change produced by the Earth's Motion on the Rotation of a Refracted Ray (Phil. Mag., London, (Ser. 6), 10, 1905, pp. 591–599)