Frank Matthews Leslie
Encyclopedia
Frank Matthews Leslie FRS was a mathematical physicist specializing in continuum mechanics
. He is remembered for the Ericksen–Leslie theory he developed with Jerald Ericksen
to describe the viscosity
of mesophase
s associated with liquid crystal
s. The parameters of this theory are viscosities called "Leslie coefficients".
F.M. Leslie was born 8 March 1935 to William Oglivy Leslie and his wife Catherine Pitkethy Matthews of Dundee, Scotland. His maternal grandfather Frank Rollo Matthews (1860 to 1921) was a bibliophile, acquiring a considerable library that the family treasured. Frank Leslie attended Harris Academy
and University College, Dundee where he was awarded the B.Sc. in 1957. With a scholarship from the legacy of James Key Caird
, he entered the University of Manchester
for graduate study. Leslie’s gifts for communication were soon appreciated as he became assistant lecturer in 1959. The mathematics department at University of Manchester was led by James Lighthill
who had pioneered an understanding of thermosyphons. Leslie extended the work with his thesis "Problems of flow in the open thermosyphon and viscoelasticity of liquids" (1961). The external examiner was James G. Oldroyd
, a viscoelasticity
authority.
As a post-doctoral student, Leslie continued his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. Being interested in anisotropic fluids, he wrote to Jerald Ericksen who was at Johns Hopkins University
. The collaboration with Ericksen grew from that time. A position at University of Newcastle
provided the setting for Leslie to begin communicating his ideas. In December 1965 his important paper "Continuum theory of Liquid Crystals" appeared in Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society (60:949–55) in which he posited a "director" vector field
characterizing an anisotropic fluid.
In 1965 Leslie married Ellen Reoch; husband and wife crossed the Atlantic so Leslie and Ericksen could continue their collaboration at Johns Hopkins. Frank and Ellen had a daughter Sheena (born 1969) and a son Calum (born 1974). Frank and Ellen enjoyed playing golf
.
Frank Leslie took up his permanent position at Strathclyde University in 1968, becoming a reader in 1971 and holding chairs from 1979 and 1982. There he was able to host academic visitors such as Ericksen. As Chandrasekhar writes,
In the mid 1970s he consulted for Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
at Malvern, Worcestershire
with Cyril Hilsum
in support of British LCD industries.
Leslie demonstrated his commitment to mathematics education
by serving as tutor
for 20 years for the Open University
. He was justice of the peace
for 15 years in Bearsden and Milngavie. Leslie supported the Scottish National Party
and was treasurer of the party for 14 years. He viewed Scotland as part of Europe. Further, in 1971 Leslie was elected Elder in the Church of Scotland
.
F.M. Leslie died June 15, 2000, of a pulmonary embolism
after a hip replacement
operation.
Continuum mechanics
Continuum mechanics is a branch of mechanics that deals with the analysis of the kinematics and the mechanical behavior of materials modelled as a continuous mass rather than as discrete particles...
. He is remembered for the Ericksen–Leslie theory he developed with Jerald Ericksen
Jerald Ericksen
Jerald LaVerne Ericksen is an American mathematician specializing in continuum mechanics.Jerald was born 20 December 1924 in Portland, Oregon. His father Adolf worked at a Portland creamery and became adept at judging the quality of butter. Later his father acquired a small creamery in Vancouver,...
to describe the viscosity
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
of mesophase
Mesophase
In physics, a mesophase is a state of matter intermediate between liquid and solid. Gelatin is a common example of a partially-ordered structure in a mesophase...
s associated with liquid crystal
Liquid crystal
Liquid crystals are a state of matter that have properties between those of a conventional liquid and those of a solid crystal. For instance, an LC may flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a crystal-like way. There are many different types of LC phases, which can be...
s. The parameters of this theory are viscosities called "Leslie coefficients".
F.M. Leslie was born 8 March 1935 to William Oglivy Leslie and his wife Catherine Pitkethy Matthews of Dundee, Scotland. His maternal grandfather Frank Rollo Matthews (1860 to 1921) was a bibliophile, acquiring a considerable library that the family treasured. Frank Leslie attended Harris Academy
Harris Academy
Harris Academy is a co-educational comprehensive school located in the West End of Dundee, Scotland.-Admissions:The school's current rector is Mr. James Thewliss....
and University College, Dundee where he was awarded the B.Sc. in 1957. With a scholarship from the legacy of James Key Caird
James Key Caird
Sir James Key Caird, 1st Baronet was a Scottish jute baron and mathematician. He was one of the city's most successful entrepreneurs, who used the latest technology in his Ashton and Craigie Mills. James Caird was born in Dundee, and was the son of Edward Caird who had founded the firm of Caird ...
, he entered the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
for graduate study. Leslie’s gifts for communication were soon appreciated as he became assistant lecturer in 1959. The mathematics department at University of Manchester was led by James Lighthill
James Lighthill
Sir Michael James Lighthill, FRS was a British applied mathematician, known for his pioneering work in the field of aeroacoustics.-Biography:...
who had pioneered an understanding of thermosyphons. Leslie extended the work with his thesis "Problems of flow in the open thermosyphon and viscoelasticity of liquids" (1961). The external examiner was James G. Oldroyd
James G. Oldroyd
James Gardner Oldroyd was British mathematician and noted rheologist. He formulated the Oldroyd-B model to describe the viscoelastic behaviour of non-Newtonian fluids.-Life:...
, a viscoelasticity
Viscoelasticity
Viscoelasticity is the property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Viscous materials, like honey, resist shear flow and strain linearly with time when a stress is applied. Elastic materials strain instantaneously when stretched and just...
authority.
As a post-doctoral student, Leslie continued his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. Being interested in anisotropic fluids, he wrote to Jerald Ericksen who was at 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...
. The collaboration with Ericksen grew from that time. A position at University of Newcastle
University of Newcastle
University of Newcastle can refer to:* Newcastle University, a university in the United Kingdom* University of Newcastle, Australia, a university in New South Wales...
provided the setting for Leslie to begin communicating his ideas. In December 1965 his important paper "Continuum theory of Liquid Crystals" appeared in Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society (60:949–55) in which he posited a "director" vector field
Vector field
In vector calculus, a vector field is an assignmentof a vector to each point in a subset of Euclidean space. A vector field in the plane for instance can be visualized as an arrow, with a given magnitude and direction, attached to each point in the plane...
characterizing an anisotropic fluid.
In 1965 Leslie married Ellen Reoch; husband and wife crossed the Atlantic so Leslie and Ericksen could continue their collaboration at Johns Hopkins. Frank and Ellen had a daughter Sheena (born 1969) and a son Calum (born 1974). Frank and Ellen enjoyed playing golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.
Frank Leslie took up his permanent position at Strathclyde University in 1968, becoming a reader in 1971 and holding chairs from 1979 and 1982. There he was able to host academic visitors such as Ericksen. As Chandrasekhar writes,
- ...the formulation of general conservation laws and constitutive equations describing the mechanical behaviour of the nematic state is due to Ericksen and Leslie. Other continuum theories have been proposed, but it turns out that the Ericksen-Leslie approach is the one that is most widely used in discussing the nematic state.
In the mid 1970s he consulted for Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence until July 2, 2001. At the time it was the United Kingdom's largest science and technology organisation...
at Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
with Cyril Hilsum
Cyril Hilsum
Cyril Hilsum CBE FRS FREng HonFInstP is a British physicist and academic.-Life:He entered Raine's Foundation School in 1936 as the middle of three brothers, leaving in 1943 after being accepted into University College London, where he did his Bsc. In 1945 he joined the Royal Naval Scientific...
in support of British LCD industries.
Leslie demonstrated his commitment to mathematics education
Mathematics education
In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....
by serving as tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
for 20 years for the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
. He was justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for 15 years in Bearsden and Milngavie. Leslie supported the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
and was treasurer of the party for 14 years. He viewed Scotland as part of Europe. Further, in 1971 Leslie was elected Elder in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
F.M. Leslie died June 15, 2000, of a pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
after a hip replacement
Hip replacement
Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi replacement. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe...
operation.