Andrew Gray (physicist)


Dr Andrew Gray was a Scottish physicist and mathematician.

Life

Born in Lochgelly, Fife, the son of John Gray, he was educated at Lochgelly School and then studied at the University of Glasgow, where he was appointed the Eglinton Fellow in Mathematics in 1876. Perhaps more significantly, however, in 1875 he became the assistant and private secretary of Professor William Thomson. He held this post – an official University one after 1880 – until 1884, when he was appointed Professor of Physics at the newly founded University College of North Wales.
In 1883 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Lord Kelvin, James Thomson Bottomley, and John Gray McKendrick. He served as Vice-President to the Society 1906 to 1909.
In June 1896 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
He remained in Bangor until 1899, when he returned to Glasgow to become the Professor of Natural Philosophy, succeeding Kelvin on his retirement. He held this chair for twenty-four years, stepping down in 1923, shortly before his death.
He lived on campus, his address being 11 University, Glasgow.

Publications

His major scientific publications included works on electromagnetism, dynamics and Bessel functions. He also wrote a treatise on gyrostats.
His FRS candidacy form itemised the following:
Later works included:
He was married to Annie Gordon. Their four sons and four daughters included James Gordon Gray FRSE.