Horatio Scott Carslaw and the origins of the well function and line source heat function

Banks, D. (2015) Horatio Scott Carslaw and the origins of the well function and line source heat function. Scottish Journal of Geology, 51(1), pp. 100-104. (doi: 10.1144/sjg2014-021)

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Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/sjg2014-021

Abstract

Horatio Scott Carslaw was a key figure in the development of the mathematical tools that are now used by thermogeologists and hydrogeologists. Carslaw was a student of Lord Kelvin at the University of Glasgow, and can be regarded as a link between Kelvin’s application of Fourier’s mathematics to geological problems and our present practitioners. Charles Vernon Theis and Clarence Lubin cited Carslaw’s mathematics as a key influence in the development of the Theis well function. Carslaw’s protégé, John Conrad Jaeger, took Carslaw’s mathematics firmly into the geological realm. This paper examines Carslaw’s wide-reaching influence and the development of the line source ‘exponential integral’ function, noting the contributions made by other scientists, including Kelvin, Whitehead and Lord Rayleigh.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Banks, Mr David
Authors: Banks, D.
Subjects:Q Science > QA Mathematics
Q Science > QE Geology
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
Journal Name:Scottish Journal of Geology
Publisher:Geological Society Publishing House
ISSN:0036-9276
ISSN (Online):2041-4951

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