Stories from the Archives

Names on the Wall

An odd phenomenon that I have noticed but for which I have no quantitative numbers is that students at Case Western Reserve tend to look down while walking more often than other populations. I am not sure as to the reason; it may be due to the cold, or it may be due to some social reason to avoid eye-contact. But I digress from my main point.

For those who do occasionally look up may have noticed that there are names written along the roof line of the Rockefeller Building on the Main Quad. The names are of famous physicists who have made important contributions to the understanding of classical physics. Nearly everyone recognizes names such as Galileo and Newton. Others are a little more obscure, such as Young and Fresnel, but if you know your physics they are still very relevant today.

But who on Earth are Arago and Gilbert?

Arago, who's name is third name from the right on the North wall of the Rockefeller building, is a name unlikely to be recognized by people today, physicists or otherwise. His name does not appear in textbooks, which would suggest someone unimportant. Paradoxically, however, only a century ago he was so important his name was engraved on the wall of the home of the physics department, meant to be immortalized forever. Arago on the wall is likely to stand for Francois Arago, who was a physicist from the 19th century.

Francois Arago is an interesting historical figure. Born in 1786 in Southern France, Arago was brilliant enough in mathematics and science that by the age of 23 he was already admitted to the Academy of Sciences. There he made numerous discoveries about optics, and developed the first polarizer in 1813 (this technology is what gives polarized sunglasses their distinctive glare reduction). Furthermore, he worked with other budding scientists, such as the young Young and Fresnel, both of which who would go on to develop important theories such as Young's Modulus and Fresnel lenses.

Arago also is remembered as the Prime Minister of France to have the shortest term in office of just barely a month. From May 11th, 1848 to June 24 of the same year, Arago was elected to office of President of Executive Power Commission. Unfortunately, due to political infighting and shortsightedness, the Commission failed to build a national assembly and was forced to dissolve, giving power back to a military dictatorship. Arago was forced to resign from his position of power and return to academia. He died a few years later in 1853.

The reason why Arago remains obscure despite being a prolific individual likely stems from that his theories primarily applied to properties in aether. Aether theory (the "a" is silent) was ironically disproved in 1887 in Adelbert Hall, which stands almost directly next to Rockefeller building, and has a clear view of Arago's plaque. Thus his name has faded into obscurity due to his theories being largely only applicable if aether was true. If are unfamiliar with Aether theory and it's at Case, I recommend reading my entry on the Michelson-Morley Experiment.

That leaves the name Gilbert. No Gilbert has appeared in my research that would have been relevant in 1905 when the building was constructed, but there is a William Gilbard from the 16th century. Gilbard was an English physicist who made important and still relevant contribution to the study of magnetic fields and the magneticmotive force, which has a unit of measurement called a Gilbard. It is unconfirmed if this is the individual the building plaque refers to, but this is the best possible link.

By Greg Wu (gregory dot wu at case dot edu)

Sources: Case Western Reserve: A History, by C.H. Cramer
Nineteenth-century aether theories, by Kenneth F. Schaffner