A Meccano set served as the building material for a functional differential analyser constructed in 1933 at the University of Manchester. Douglas Hartree, an English mathematician and physicist born in 1897, utilised this device to explore complex numerical solutions for physical equations, marking a practical shift in the application of mechanical computing for theoretical scientific research.
Academic Foundation and Research
Educated at Bedales School and St John's College, Cambridge, Hartree established his early career through work on anti-aircraft ballistics during World War I. This experience fostered an enduring interest in manual numerical methods for differential equations. By 1921, his research focus shifted to atomic structure, heavily influenced by a visit from Niels Bohr. Under the supervision of Ernest Rutherford, Hartree earned his PhD in 1926. He subsequently developed the self-consistent field method to calculate electron distribution in atoms, eventually leading to the Hartree-Fock method.
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Appointed to the Beyer Chair of Applied Mathematics at the Victoria University of Manchester in 1929, Hartree integrated physical hardware into his mathematical practice. After learning about the differential analyser at MIT, he built his own version in England. This machine facilitated calculations for diverse problems ranging from railway timetables to fluid dynamics and laminar boundary layer theory. He later collaborated with his father, William Hartree, and Bertha Swirles on multiconfiguration results, expanding the utility of his initial atomic models.
Wartime Contributions
During the Second World War, from 1939 to 1946, Hartree served the Ministry of Supply by managing specialized computing groups. His team addressed high-priority national issues, including radar development, radio wave propagation, and isotope separation. Facing a shortage of automated integrators, he organised human teams to operate desk calculators in parallel, effectively simulating particle movement. Though he documented his findings in technical secret reports, much of this wartime research remained unpublished in academic journals.
Fast facts
- Born: 1897, Cambridge
- Died: 1958, Cambridge
- Education: St John's College, Cambridge
- Key Method: Hartree–Fock method
- Royal Society Fellowship: 1932
- Citizenship: United Kingdom
- Primary Occupation: Mathematician and physicist
Questions readers ask
What is the Hartree–Fock method?
It is a computational method used in atomic physics to solve equations related to the distribution of electrons in an atom.
Did Hartree build computers out of toys?
Yes, in 1933 he constructed a functional differential analyser at the University of Manchester using Meccano components.
Achievements
- Fellow of the Royal Society — 1932
- Notable work: Hartree–Fock method
- Held posts at Victoria University of Manchester, University of Cambridge and Ministry of Supply
- Fields: theoretical physics, numerical analysis and atomic physics
