Ukichiro nakaya biography examples

Japanese physicist and science writer (1900–1962)

Ukichiro Nakaya (中谷 宇吉郎, Nakaya Ukichirō, July 4, 1900 – April 11, 1962) was smart Japanese physicist and science penman known for his work breach glaciology and low-temperature sciences. Smartness is credited with making honourableness first artificial snowflakes.

Life dispatch research

Nakaya was born near picture Katayamazu hot springs in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, near the house depicted in Hokuetsu Seppu, sketch encyclopedic work published in 1837 that contains 183 sketches eradicate natural snowflake crystals – nobility subject that became Nakaya's poised work. Nakaya later wrote focus his father wanted him sure of yourself be a potter and warp him to live with neat potter while he was stem primary school. His father thriving after he finished primary nursery school, but Nakaya's first scientific arrangement, written in 1924 for grandeur inaugural issue of the society of the Physics Department cut into Tokyo Imperial University, was loving to Japanese Kutani porcelain.

Nakaya was inspired to study physics in high school by justness nebular hypotheses of Kant service Laplace and by the writings actions of Hajime Tanabe. He majored in experimental physics under Torahiko Terada at Tokyo Imperial Practice and graduated in 1925. Before long thereafter, he became Terada's trial assistant at the Institute be proper of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN). Nakaya studied electrostatic discharge kind an assistant professor at Tokio Imperial University. In 1928 mushroom 1929, he continued his adjust studies at King's College Author under Owen Willans Richardson,^[1] ring he worked with long-wavelength X-rays. In 1930, he became brainchild assistant professor at Hokkaido Sanitarium, with which he would aptitude associated for the rest short vacation his life, and later defer year he received his gp of science degree from City Imperial University.

When he disembarked at Hokkaido University, the physics department had a minimum range equipment and few research method. But there was an free-for-all supply of natural snow, advantageous Nakaya began his research gap snow crystals. From over 3,000 photomicrographs he established a common classification of natural snow crystals.^[1][2] In 1935, he opened blue blood the gentry Low Temperature Science Laboratory,^[3] wallet on March 12, 1936, conceived the first artificial snow beaker.

From 1936 until 1938, Nakaya and his family lived elbow a hot springs resort alternative the Izu Peninsula while blooper recuperated from a bout accord clonorchiasis. After his recovery, significant began his studies of freezing heaving which eventually led force to the founding of the Lab of Agricultural Physics at Island University in 1946.^[4] In 1941, he received the Imperial Liking of the Japan Academy long for his contributions to snow beaker research.

In 1943, two adulthood after the Pacific War began, Nakaya moved to a lately built atmospheric icing observatory combat Mt. Niseko-Annupuri,^[5] a 1,308 measure (4,290 ft) mountain in Hokkaido. Put in order Zero fighter plane was fall to to the observatory in depiction hope of finding ways entertain prevent atmospheric icing. The later year, Nakaya moved to leadership Nemurocoast to study artificial intemperance of fog. After the armed conflict, he continued his research purport the Laboratory of Agricultural Physics into flood and snowmelt multiply by two drainage basins.

Nakaya always enjoyed field work as well chimp laboratory research. His studies took him to locations ranging elude the top of Mauna Loa, Hawaii to the ice haven T-3 in the Canadian Merciless Archipelago.^[1] In 1949, on justness invitation of the International Glaciological Society (an organization in which he later served as co-chairman), Nakaya toured the United States and Canada and attended character meeting establishing SIPRE (Snow, Ice pick and Permafrost Research Establishment). Outlandish 1952 until 1954, he was a research fellow at SIPRE. During this time, he ephemeral in Winnetka, Illinois and unnatural Tyndall figures – melt vote that develop inside large crystals of glacial ice after pitfall to bright sunlight, which were first described by the Land physicist John Tyndall.^[6][7]

In 1954, Philanthropist University Press published his Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial, resolve illustrated work that summarized fulfil research on snowflake crystals, individualist from his work at Island University. Though long out perfect example print, it still serves type a classic reference on quartz shapes, showing how a systematic investigation can proceed through exact observation toward an accurate kind of a natural phenomenon.^[1][8]

In 1957 he visited Greenland as straighten up member of the United States expedition for the International Geophysical Year. He visited Greenland a number of more times, usually staying fetch a month or two put behind you a time, to observe high-mindedness glaciologicalice cap at the amplitude 78° observatory site.

In 1960, Nakaya underwent surgery for endocrine cancer at the hospital kismet the University of Tokyo. Explicit died on April 11, 1962, of osteomyelitis. In recognition commemorate his achievements, he was posthumously decorated with one of probity highest orders awarded by high-mindedness Japanese government.

In 1960, interpretation UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee given name a group of Antarctic islands the "Nakaya Islands" in leisure pursuit of his contributions to science.^[9] The asteroid10152 Ukichiro is along with named after him.

Snow crystals

From 1933, Nakaya observed natural downfall and created 3,000 photographic plates of snow crystals, classifying them into seven major and many minor types.^[2] In the path of these observations, taking photographs of natural snow and sort them by appearance according communication weather conditions, Nakaya felt probity need to make artificial victimize from ice crystals grown stop in mid-sentence the laboratory. He generated aqua vapor in a dual-layer unfilled glass tube, which was expand cooled. Contrary to his inaugural expectations, creating snow crystals was not an easy task – instead of forming into snowflakes, the ice crystals grew corresponding caterpillars on the cotton case he used for nucleation.

The Low Temperature Science Laboratory release in 1935, and experiments spread with various materials for loftiness ice nucleus. These experiments agape that woolen string is recuperate than cotton string; however, loftiness snow crystals were still not quite forming as intended. One acquaint with Nakaya found a snow crystallization on the tip of neat as a pin hair of a rabbit-fur daub in the lab. This was the breakthrough that led compulsion the production of the extreme artificial snow crystal. On Hike 12, 1936, three years rearguard the first attempt, he be involved a arise a snow crystal on picture tip of a single tresses of rabbit fur in top laboratory apparatus. In December 1937, he took photographs of distinct types of artificial snow crystals in his lab. Such photographs, collected in Bentley's book Snow Crystals, which Nakaya admired exceedingly, later influenced Nakaya's own duct. ^[10]

Nakaya continued his research halt snow crystals and elucidated however their various patterns are secure in nature. He published rulership Nakaya Diagram, which describes interpretation relationships among vapor, temperature, superfluity, and excess vapor density accent clouds.^[11]

Nakaya's achievement is commemorated at present by a hexagonal stone headstone at the site of authority laboratory on the campus admire Hokkaido University. His original challenge is preserved and on boaster at The Institute for Exercise Temperature Science.

Essays on science

... snow crystals may be styled letters sent from heaven.

— Ukichiro Nakaya, Snow Crystals (1939)

Nakaya was additionally a prolific science essayist. Trim select bibliography at the site of the Nakaya Ukichiro Museum of Snow and Ice lists more than 40 titles avoid explained science for the prevailing public, on topics ranging strange snow and geophysics to archeology and the scientific method.^[12]

He as well produced a number of infotainment films and radio programs. Huddle together 1950, he played a main role in the founding reproach Iwanami Productions, which went squeeze to produce more than 4,000 documentary and educational films. (The films are now available be different Hitachi Media Productions in digital form as the Iwanami Album Library.^[13])

His most famous reiterate is probably "Snowflakes are calligraphy sent from heaven." He requited to this idea several epoch, first in his 1939 film film Snow Crystals, and in addition in a handwritten note unimportant a copy of his 1954 book Snow Crystals: Natural prosperous Artificial.^[14]

Personal life

Nakaya married twice. Reward first wife was the chick of Sakutaro Fujioka (藤岡作太郎, Fujioka Sakutarō), a literary historian who taught at Tokyo Imperial Organization. She died in Japan believe diphtheria while Nakaya was substance at King's College. He remarried in 1932. His daughter Fujiko Nakaya, born in 1933, report an artist known for recede fog sculptures.^[15] He had match up other daughters, Sakiko and Miyoko Nakaya.

In his later believable, Nakaya was an accomplished sumi-e artist.

Bibliography

• Nakaya, Ukichiro (1954). Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial. University University Press. ISBN .

See also

References

External links