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62-554: The name dyne was first proposed as a CGS unit of force in 1873 by a Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science . The dyne is defined as "the force required to accelerate a mass of one gram at a rate of one centimetre per second squared". An equivalent definition of the dyne is "that force which, acting for one second, will produce a change of velocity of one centimetre per second in

124-479: A decorated modern carving of his coat of arms. The dining room is decorated with modern, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper, based on the 1772 painting commissioned by Alexander Hume, now in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum . The grounds have also been restored and are now surrounded by a ha-ha with a pond, all auxiliary buildings have been demolished apart from two old 'Magnetic huts' dating from

186-433: A mass of one gram". One dyne is equal to 10 micronewtons, 10 N or to 10 nsn (nano sthenes ) in the old metre–tonne–second system of units . The dyne per centimetre is a unit traditionally used to measure surface tension . For example, the surface tension of distilled water is 71.99 dyn/cm at 25 °C (77 °F). (In SI units this is 71.99 × 10 N/m or 71.99 mN/m .) British Association for

248-517: A meeting was held annually at a place chosen at a previous meeting. In 1832, for example, the meeting was held in Oxford, chaired by Reverend Dr William Buckland . By this stage the Association had four sections: Physics (including Mathematics and Mechanical Arts), Chemistry (including Mineralogy and Chemical Arts), Geology (including Geography) and Natural History. During this second meeting,

310-561: A member of the Rational Dress Society , Charlotte Carmichael Stopes , stunned the proceedings of a meeting of the Association in Newcastle upon Tyne by organizing an impromptu session where she introduced rational dress to a wide audience, her speech being noted in newspapers across Britain. In 1903, microscopist and astronomer Washington Teasdale died whilst attending the annual meeting. The Association's main aim

372-528: A new subject area of discussion, such as Anthropology in 1869. A very important decision in the Association's history was made in 1842 when it was resolved to create a "physical observatory". A building that became well known as the Kew Observatory was taken on for the purpose and Francis Ronalds was chosen as the inaugural Honorary Director. Kew Observatory quickly became one of the most renowned meteorological and geomagnetic observatories in

434-454: A private dwelling, it formerly housed an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatory founded by King George III . The architect was Sir William Chambers ; his design of the King's Observatory influenced the architecture of two Irish observatories – Armagh Observatory and Dunsink Observatory near Dublin . The observatory and its grounds are located within the grounds of

496-514: A regular basis and were beginning to use calibrated condensers as well." The undertaking was suggested to the BA by William Thomson , and its success was due to the use of Thomson's mirror galvanometer . Josiah Latimer Clark and Fleeming Jenkin made preparations. Thomson, with his students, found that impure copper , contaminated with arsenic , introduced significant extra resistance. The chemist Augustus Matthiessen contributed an appendix (A) to

558-544: A result, modern high quality mechanical watch movements have an extremely high degree of accuracy. However, no mechanical movement could ultimately compare to the accuracy of a quartz movement . Accordingly, such chronometer certification ceased in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the advent of the quartz watch movement. In 1981 the facility was returned to the Crown Estate Commissioners and reverted to its original name, "King’s Observatory". In 1985

620-554: A series of screw thread standards in sizes from 0.25 mm up to 6 mm, in 1882. The standards were based on the metric system , although they had to be re-defined in imperial terms for use by UK industry.  The standard was modified in 1884 to restrict significant figures for the metric counterpart of diameter and pitch of the screw in the published table, as well as not designating screws by their number of threads per inch, and instead giving an approximation due to considerable actual differences in manufactured screws. In 1889,

682-714: A society in which a diverse group of people can learn and apply the sciences in which they learn." and is managed by a professional staff located at their Head Office in the Wellcome Wolfson Building. The BSA offers a wide variety of activities and events that both recognise and encourage people to be involved in science. These include the British Science Festival, British Science Week, the CREST Awards, For Thought, The Ideas Fund, along with regional and local events. The Association

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744-705: A young people's programme, the CREST Awards which seeks to involve school students in science beyond the school curriculum, and to encourage them to consider higher education and careers in science. Huxley Summit Named after Thomas Huxley, the Huxley Summit is a leadership event run by the British Science Association, where 250 of the most influential people in the UK are brought together to discuss scientific and social challenges that

806-735: Is administered from the Wellcome Wolfson Building at the Science Museum, London in South Kensington in Kensington and Chelsea , within a few feet of the northern boundary with the City of Westminster (in which most of the neighbouring Imperial College London is resident). Kew Observatory The King's Observatory (called for many years the Kew Observatory ) is a Grade I listed building in Richmond, London . Now

868-410: Is critical that they increase the number of physics teachers, or it will have a detrimental effect on the number of future engineers and scientists. The Association's major emphasis in recent decades has been on public engagement in science . Its annual meeting, now called the British Science Festival, is the largest public showcase for science in the UK and attracts a great deal of media attention. It

930-517: Is held at UK universities in early September for one week, with visits to science-related local cultural attractions. The 2010 Festival, held in Birmingham with Aston University as lead University partner, featured a prank event: the unveiling of Dulcis foetidus , a fictional plant purported to emit a pungent odour. An experiment in herd mentality , some audience members were induced into believing they could smell it. The Festival has also been

992-418: Is not publicly accessible, and obscuring woodlands mean that it cannot be viewed from outside the golf course, which is not open to the general public. The observatory is sometimes open to the public. The observatory was completed in 1769, in time for King George III's observation of the transit of Venus that occurred on 3 June in that year. It was located close to Richmond Lodge , the country residence of

1054-445: Is the British Science Association's scheme to encourage students aged 5–19 to get involved with STEM projects and encourage scientific thinking. Awards range from Star Awards (targeted at those aged 5–7) to Gold Awards (targeted to those aged 16–19). Overall, 30,000 awards are undertaken annually. Many students who do CREST Awards, especially Silver and Gold Awards which require 30 and 70 hours of work respectively, enter competitions like

1116-528: Is to make science more relevant, representative and connected to society. At the beginning of the Great Depression , the Association's focus began to shift their purpose to account for not only scientific progress, but the social aspects of such progress. In the Association's 1931 meeting, the president General Jan Christiaan Smuts ended his address by the proposal of linking science and ethics together but provided no means to actuate his ideas. In

1178-642: Is wrong to suppose that by foregoing technological and scientific education we shall somehow become a nation of artists, writers or philosophers instead. These two aspects of culture have never been divorced from each other throughout our history. Every renaissance, every period that showed a flowering of civilization, advanced simultaneously in the arts and sciences, and in technology too. Sir Kenneth Durham, former director of research at Unilever , on becoming president in August 1987 followed on from Sir George Porter saying that science teachers needed extra pay to overcome

1240-742: The Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club , which is part of the Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace in Richmond , historically in Surrey and now in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames . The former royal manor of Kew lies to the immediate north. The observatory grounds overlie to the south the site of the former Sheen Priory , the Carthusian monastery established by King Henry V in 1414. The observatory

1302-683: The Royal Society . Charles Babbage , William Whewell and J. F. W. Johnston are also considered to be founding members. The first meeting was held in York (at the Yorkshire Museum ) on Tuesday 27 September 1831 with various scientific papers being presented on the following days. It was chaired by Viscount Milton , president of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society , and "upwards of 300 gentlemen" attended

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1364-471: The dole queue ... [Adding,] scientists have to be careful and consider the full implications of what they are seeking to achieve. The problem with some clever people is that they find cleverer ways of being stupid. In the year 2000, Sir Peter Williams had put together a panel to discuss the shortage of physics majors. A physicist called Derek Raine had stated that he has had multiple firms call him up asking for physics majors. The report they made stated that it

1426-434: The ohm as the unit of electrical resistance , the volt as the unit of electrical potential , and the ampere as the unit of electrical current . A need for standards arose with the submarine telegraph industry. Practitioners came to use their own standards established by wire coils: "By the late 1850s, Clark, Varley , Bright , Smith and other leading British cable engineers were using calibrated resistance coils on

1488-514: The Advancement of Science The British Science Association ( BSA ) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science ( BA ). The current Chief Executive is Hannah Russell. The BSA's mission is to get more people engaged in the field of science by coordinating, delivering, and overseeing different projects that are suited to achieve these goals. The BSA "envisions

1550-482: The Association Meeting was an exchange between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce in 1860 (see the 1860 Oxford evolution debate ). Although it is often described as a "debate", the exchange occurred after the presentation of a paper by Prof Draper of New York, on the intellectual development of Europe with relation to Darwin's theory (one of a number of scientific papers presented during

1612-467: The Met Office to assist in understanding the weather was equipped with his cameras – some of these remained in use at Kew until the observatory's closure in 1980. Ronalds also established a sophisticated atmospheric electricity observing system at Kew with a long copper rod protruding through the dome of the observatory and a suite of novel electrometers and electrographs to manually record

1674-770: The Royal Institution, created the Committee on the Public Understanding of Science , or COPUS, to promote public understanding of science. Professor Sir George Porter became the president in September 1985. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1967 along with Manfred Eigen, and Ronald George Wreyford Norrish. When asked about the scientific literacy of Britain , he stated that Britain was

1736-543: The Scriptures, to ignore the findings of Watson and Crick, than it was right for clerics of the last century to ignore the work of Darwin. Science today is all-pervasive. Without some scientific and technical education, it is becoming impossible even to vote responsibly on matters of health, energy, defense or education. So unless things change, we shall soon live in a country that is backward not only in its technology and standard of living but in its cultural vitality too. It

1798-542: The UK Big Bang Fair . Traditionally the president is elected at the meeting usually held in August/September for a one-year term and gives a presidential address upon retiring. The honour of the presidency is traditionally bestowed only once per individual. Written sources that give the year of presidency as a single year generally mean the year in which the presidential address is given. In 1926/1927

1860-489: The UK faces in the 21st century and to develop a link between scientists and non-scientists to ensure that science can be understood by society as a whole. On 8 November 2016, the British Science Association held the very first Huxley Summit at BAFTA, London. The theme of the summit was "Trust in the 21st Century" and how that would affect the future of science, innovation, and business. Media Fellowship Schemes The British Science Association's Media Fellowship provides

1922-404: The actual performance of the movement. A movement with a Bulletin de Marche from an observatory became known as an Observatory Chronometer , and was issued a chronometer reference number by the observatory. The role of the observatories in assessing the accuracy of mechanical timepieces was instrumental in driving the mechanical watchmaking industry toward higher and higher levels of accuracy. As

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1984-598: The association's patron was King George V and the president was his son Edward, Prince of Wales . The vice-presidents for the Leeds meeting at this time included City of Leeds Alderman Charles Lupton and his brother, The Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor of Leeds Hugh Lupton . The husband of the brothers' first cousin once removed - Lord Airedale of Gledhow - was also a vice-president at the Leeds meeting. The organisation

2046-627: The closure of the Observatory. These measurements, which complement those of the Kelvin electrograph, were made on fine days at 1500 GMT. Beyond their applications in atmospheric electricity, the electrograph and Wilson apparatus have been shown to be useful for reconstructing past air pollution changes. In the early 1850s, the facility began performing a role in assessing and rating barometers , thermometers , chronometers , watches, sextants and other scientific instruments for accuracy; this duty

2108-418: The current state of the machine's lack of complete working drawings, the machine's potential cost to produce, the machine's durability during repeated use, how and what the machine will actually be utilized for, and that more work would need to be done to bring the design up to a standard at which it is guaranteed to work. The Association introduced the British Association (usually termed "BA") screw threads ,

2170-656: The data. He supplied this equipment to facilities in England, Spain, France, Italy, India ( Colaba and Trivandrum ) and the Arctic with the goal of delineating atmospheric electricity on a global scale. At Kew, two-hourly data was recorded in the Reports of the British Association between 1844 and 1847. An entirely new system, providing continuous automatic recording, was installed by Lord Kelvin personally in

2232-544: The early 1860s. This device, based on Kelvin's water dropper potential equaliser with photographic recording, was known as the Kew electrograph. It provided the backbone of a long and almost continuous series of potential gradient measurements which finished in 1980. A secondary system of measurement, operating on different principles, was designed and implemented by the Nobel laureate CTR Wilson , from which records begin in 1906 until

2294-536: The final 1873 report that showed temperature-dependence of alloys. The unit system was "absolute" since it agreed with previously accepted units of work, or energy: The Association was parodied by English novelist Charles Dickens as 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything' in The Mudfog Papers (1837–38). In 1878 a committee of the Association recommended against constructing Charles Babbage 's analytical engine , due to concerns about

2356-409: The first objects and rules of the Association were published. Objects included systematically directing the acquisition of scientific knowledge, spreading this knowledge as well as discussion between scientists across the world, and to focus on furthering science by removing obstacles to progress. The rules established included what constituted a member of the Association, the fee to remain a member, and

2418-409: The following years, debate began as to whom the responsibilities of scientists fell upon. The Association adopted a resolution in 1934 that dedicated efforts to better balance scientific advancement with social progress. J.D. Bernal , a member of the Royal Society and the British Association, wrote The Social Function of Science in 1939, describing a need to correctly utilize science for society and

2480-468: The home to protest and debate. In 1970 there were protestors over the use of science for weapons. The Association organised and held the annual Science Communication Conference for over ten years. It was the largest conference of its kind in the UK, and addressed the key issues facing science communicators. In 2015, the BSA introduced a new series of smaller events for science communicators, designed to address

2542-487: The importance of its public perception. The idea of the public perception of science was furthered in 1985 when the Royal Society published a report titled The Public Understanding of Science. In the report, a committee of the Royal Society determined that it was scientists' duty to communicate to and educate the public. Lord George Porter, then president of the Royal Society, British Association, and director of

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2604-445: The least educated country compared to all the other advanced countries. His idea to solve this problem would be to start scientific education for children at the age of 4. He says his reason for such an early age is because that is the age when children are the most curious, and implementing science at that age will help them gain curiosity towards all disciplines of science. When asked why public ignorance to science matters, his response

2666-455: The meeting. The Preston Mercury recorded that those gathered consisted of "persons of distinction from various parts of the kingdom, together with several of the gentry of Yorkshire and the members of philosopher societies in this country". The newspaper published the names of over a hundred of those attending and these included, amongst others, eighteen clergymen, eleven doctors, four knights, two Viscounts and one Lord. From that date onwards

2728-461: The observatory was refurbished and transformed into commercial offices; new brick buildings were added. From 1986 to 2011 it was used by Autoglass (now Belron ) as their UK head office. Since 1989 the lease has been held by Robbie Brothers of Kew Holdings Limited. In 2014 Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council granted planning permission for the observatory to be used as a private single family dwelling. In 1999, landscape architect Kim Wilkie

2790-586: The opportunity for practicing scientists, clinicians, and engineers to spend a period of time working at media outlets such as the Guardian, BBC Breakfast or The Londonist. After their time with the media placement, the fellows attend the British Science Festival which will offer these practitioners valuable working experience with a range of media organizations along with learning from a wide range of public engagement activities and be able to network with academics, journalists and science communicators. CREST Awards

2852-417: The owners collection of Japanese ceramics and has an upper gallery installed by the Met Office with an Art Deco balustrade. The library octagon retains the octagonal Autoglass board table with a model of the site before restoration. The two side rooms have lost original features apart from their windows. The lounge has been restored as a Georgian room with two large portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte and

2914-526: The process for future meetings. They also include dividing the members into different committees. These committees separated members into their preferred subject matter, and were to recommend investigations into areas of interest, then report on these findings, as well as progress in their science at the annual meetings. Additional sections were added throughout the years by either splitting off part of an original section, like making Geography and Ethnology its own section apart from Geology in 1851, or by defining

2976-508: The royal family between 1764 and 1771. In 1842, the by then empty building was taken on by the British Association for the Advancement of Science and became widely known as the Kew Observatory. Francis Ronalds was the inaugural Honorary Director for the next decade and founded the observatory's enduring reputation. Responsibility for the facility was transferred to the Royal Society in 1871. The National Physical Laboratory

3038-693: The same issues as the Science Communication Conference but for a more targeted audience. In addition to the British Science Festival, the British Science Association organises the British Science Week (formerly National Science & Engineering Week), an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved in science, engineering, technology and maths activities, originating as the National Week of Science, Engineering and Technology. The Association also has

3100-900: The scarcity of mathematics and physics teachers in secondary schools, and that "unless we deal with this as matter of urgency, the outlook for our manufacturing future is bleak". He regretted that headmasters and careers masters had for many years followed 'the cult of Oxbridge ' because "it carried more prestige to read classics at Oxbridge and go into the Civil Service or banking, than to read engineering at, say, Salford , and go into manufacturing industry ". He said that reporting of sciences gave good coverage to medical science, but that "nevertheless, editors ought to be sensitive to developments in areas such as solid state physics, astro-physics, colloid science, molecular biology, transmission of stimuli along nerve fibres, and so on, and that newspaper editors were in danger of waiting for disasters before

3162-456: The scientific factors involved in the incidents were explained. In September 2001 Sir William Stewart, as outgoing president, warned that universities faced " dumbing down " and that we can deliver social inclusiveness, and the best universities, but not both from a limited amount of money. We run the risk of doing neither well. Universities are underfunded, and must not be seen simply as a substitute for National Service to keep youngsters off

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3224-727: The superintendent of the observatory, says: "His Majesty the King who made his observation with a Shorts reflecting telescope, magnifying Diameters 170 Times, was the first to view the Penumbra of Venus touching the Edge of the Sun's Disk. The exact mean time (according to civil Reckoning) was attended to by Stephen Demainbray, appointed to take exact time by Shelton's Regulator, previously regulated by several astronomical observations." Francis Ronalds invented many meteorological, magnetic and electrical instruments at Kew, which saw long-term use around

3286-595: The time of the NPL. The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford has a portrait, Peter Rigaud and Mary Anne Rigaud , by the 18th-century painter John Francis Rigaud . His portrait of his nephew and niece, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1778, shows Stephen Peter Rigaud (1774–1839) (who became a mathematical historian and astronomer, and Savilian Chair of Geometry and Savilian Professor of Astronomy at

3348-432: The week) and the subsequent discussion involved a number of other participants (although Wilberforce and Huxley were the most prominent). Although a number of newspapers made passing references to the exchange, it was not until later that it was accorded greater significance in the evolution debate . One of the most important contributions of the British Association was the establishment of standards for electrical usage:

3410-475: The world. The Association relinquished control of the Kew Observatory in 1871 to the management of the Royal Society, after a large donation to grant the observatory its independence. In 1872, the Association purchased its first central office in London, acquiring four rooms at 22 Albemarle Street. This office was intended to be a resource for members of the Association. One of the most famous events linked to

3472-507: The world. These included the first successful cameras in 1845 to record the variations of parameters such as atmospheric pressure , temperature, humidity , atmospheric electricity and geomagnetism through the day and night. His photo- barograph was used by Robert Fitzroy from 1862 in making the UK's first official weather forecasts at the Meteorological Office . The network of observing stations set-up in 1867 by

3534-464: Was It matters because among those who are scientifically illiterate are some of those who are in power, people who lead us in politics, in civil service, in the media, in the church, often in industry and sometimes even in education. Think, for example, about the enormous influence of scientific knowledge on one's whole philosophy of life, even one's religion. It is no more permissible for the archbishops of today, who advise their flocks on how to interpret

3596-418: Was commissioned to prepare a master plan linking the observatory's Grade I landscape to Kew Gardens , Syon Park and Richmond . These proposals were accepted by Kew Holdings Limited. The basement and first floors are now family rooms, bedrooms and kitchen. The two octagon rooms retain their original cabinets. The entrance octagon room originally would have housed George III's scientific instruments but displays

3658-454: Was established there in 1900 and from 1910 it housed the Meteorological Office . The Met Office closed the observatory in 1980. The geomagnetic instruments had already been relocated to Eskdalemuir Observatory in Dumfries and Galloway , Scotland in 1908 after the advent of electrification in London led to interference with their operations. A contemporary report by Stephen Demainbray ,

3720-589: Was founded in 1831 and modelled on the German Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte . It was founded during post-war reconstruction after the Peninsula war to improve the advancement of science in England. The prime mover (who is regarded as the main founder) was Reverend William Vernon Harcourt , following a suggestion by Sir David Brewster , who was disillusioned with the elitist and conservative attitude of

3782-415: Was tested in five positions and two temperatures, in ten series of four or five days each. The tolerances for error were much finer than any other standard, including the modern COSC standard. Movements that passed the stringent tests were issued a certification from the observatory called a Bulletin de Marche, signed by the directeur of the observatory. The Bulletin de Marche stated the testing criteria and

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3844-724: Was transferred to the National Physical Laboratory in 1910. An instrument which passed the tests was awarded a "Kew Certificate", a hallmark of excellence. As marine navigation adopted the use of mechanical timepieces, their accuracy became more important. The need for precision resulted in the development of a testing regime involving various astronomical observatories. In Europe, Neuchâtel Observatory , Geneva Observatory , Besançon Astronomical Observatory and Kew were examples of prominent observatories that tested timepiece movements for accuracy. The testing process lasted for many days, typically 45. Each movement

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