Green, George (1793–1841)

English mathematician. He coined the term ‘potential’, now a central concept in electricity, and introduced Green's theorem, which is still applied in the solution of partial differential equations; for instance, in the study of relativity.

Green's groundbreaking paper was published in 1828 and in it he demonstrated the importance of ‘potential function’ (also known as the Green function) in both magnetism and electricity, and showed how the Green theorem enabled volume integrals to be reduced to surface integrals. It stimulated great interest, and was to influence such scientists as James Clerk Maxwell and Lord Kelvin. Green went on to produce other important papers on fluids (1832, 1833), attraction (1833), waves in fluids (1837), sound (1837), and light (1837).

Green was born in Nottingham and studied mathematics by himself until at the age of 40 he became a student at Cambridge, and later a member of the staff.