# John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh

> He explained why the sky is blue, discovered a new element in the air, and left his name scattered across physics — from the scattering of light to the instability of fluids to the resolution limit of lenses.

*English physicist (1842–1919)*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/john-william-strutt-3rd-baron-rayleigh

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Scientist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q39631))
- **Category:** Scientists
- **Country:** United Kingdom
- **Born:** 1842-11-12
- **Died:** 1919-06-30
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, was a British physicist born 12 November 1842 into a hereditary peerage. In 1871 he published the first theoretical treatment of elastic light scattering by particles much smaller than the wavelength — Rayleigh scattering — which explained the blue of the sky. He described transverse surface waves in solids (Rayleigh waves), contributed circulation theory for aerodynamic lift, and introduced the Rayleigh number, Rayleigh flow, the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, and the stability criterion for Taylor–Couette flow. In optics he proposed a criterion for angular resolution; in thermodynamics his Rayleigh–Jeans law for black-body radiation later helped birth quantum mechanics. His 1877 textbook The Theory of Sound remains in use. In 1904 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering argon. He served as President of the Royal Society from 1905 to 1908 and as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1908 until his death on 30 June 1919.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 67.8 / 100
- **Momentum:** 10.0 / 100  (trend: FALLING)
- **Historical depth:** 23.8 / 100
- **Now attention:** 0.0 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100
- **Category rank:** #117

## Topics
#Scientists, #Scientist, #Physics, #Politics, #Mathematics, #Chemistry, #19th Century

## Sources
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt,_3rd_Baron_Rayleigh)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83297)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/John%20William%20Strutt%2C%203rd%20Baron%20Rayleigh)
- [جون ويليام ستروت ريليه](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86_%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87)
- [جون ويليام ستروت](https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86_%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA)
- [جان استرات](https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA)
- [Con Vilyam Strett](https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Con_Vilyam_Strett)
- [John William Strutt, Baron Rayleigh Ka-3](https://ban.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt%2C_Baron_Rayleigh_Ka-3)
- [Джон Ўільям Стрэт (лорд Рэйлі)](https://be_x_old.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%8E%D1%96%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F%D0%BC_%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D1%8D%D1%82_(%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B4_%D0%A0%D1%8D%D0%B9%D0%BB%D1%96))
- [Джон Уільям Стрэт (лорд Рэлей)](https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%A3%D1%96%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F%D0%BC_%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D1%8D%D1%82_(%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B4_%D0%A0%D1%8D%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B9))
- [Джон Уилям Стрът](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%A3%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8F%D0%BC_%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D1%8A%D1%82)
- [জন উইলিয়াম স্ট্রাট, ৩য় ব্যারন রেলি](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%A8_%E0%A6%89%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE_%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9F%2C_%E0%A7%A9%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC_%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A8_%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF)
- [John William Strutt Rayleigh](https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt_Rayleigh)
- [John Strutt](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Strutt)
- [جۆن ویلیام سترەت](https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%DB%86%D9%86_%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%95%D8%AA)
- [John William Strutt, 3. baron Rayleigh](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt%2C_3._baron_Rayleigh)
- [John William Strutt](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt)
- [John Strutt, 3. Baron Rayleigh](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Strutt%2C_3._Baron_Rayleigh)
- [Τζον Ουίλιαμ Στρατ](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A4%CE%B6%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%9F%CF%85%CE%AF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BC_%CE%A3%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84)
- [John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt%2C_3rd_Baron_Rayleigh)
- [John William Strutt Rayleigh](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt_Rayleigh)
- [Lord Rayleigh](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Rayleigh)
- [John William Strutt, kolmas parun Rayleigh](https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt%2C_kolmas_parun_Rayleigh)
- [John William Strutt](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt)
- [جان ویلیام استرات، سومین بارون ریلی](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86_%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%8C_%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C)
- [Lordi Rayleigh](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordi_Rayleigh)
- [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Strutt%2C_3rd_Baron_Rayleigh)
- [John William Strutt, 3de Baron van Rayleigh](https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt%2C_3de_Baron_van_Rayleigh)
- [John William Strutt](https://an.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Strutt)

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