Josiah Willard Gibbs (February 11, 1839 – April 28, 1903) was an American scientist who made important theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. His work on the applications of thermodynamics was instrumental in transforming physical chemistry into a rigorous deductive science. Together with James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann, he created statistical mechanics (a term that he coined), explaining the laws of thermodynamics as consequences of the statistical properties of ensembles of the possible states of a physical system composed of many particles. Gibbs also worked on the application of Maxwell's equations to problems in physical optics. As a mathematician, he invented modern vector calculus (independently of the British scientist Oliver Heaviside, who carried out similar work during the same period).

In 1863, Yale awarded Gibbs the first American doctorate in engineering. After a three-year sojourn in Europe, Gibbs spent the rest of his career at Yale, where he was professor of mathematical physics from 1871 until his death. Working in relative isolation, he became the earliest theoretical scientist in the United States to earn an international reputation and was praised by Albert Einstein as "the greatest mind in American history". In 1901, Gibbs received what was then considered the highest honor awarded by the international scientific community, the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London, "for his contributions to mathematical physics".

Willard Gibbs may refer to:

See also

Josiah Willard Gibbs, Sr. (30 April 1790 – 25 March 1861) was an American linguist and theologian, who served as professor of sacred literature at Yale University. He is chiefly remembered today for his involvement in the Amistad case and as the father of theoretical physicist Willard Gibbs.

Early life and education

Gibbs was born in Salem, Massachusetts into an old Yankee family with a rich scholarly tradition. His parents were Henry and Mercy (Prescott) Gibbs. One of his ancestors, Samuel Willard, had served as acting President of Harvard College from 1701 to 1707. Gibbs graduated from Yale College in 1809 and was a tutor there from 1811 to 1815. He then moved to Andover, Massachusetts, and pursued private studies in Hebrew and the Bible, guided by Moses Stuart. He returned to Yale in 1824 as lecturer in the Theological Institution of Yale College, later becoming a professor in the department of sacred literature (within the Yale Divinity School), a post he retained until his death.