Alexander Wood

Alexander Wood (3 May 1879 – 1 April 1950) was a Scottish physicist who worked as researcher and university lecturer in the field of acoustics and experimental physics. Biography Son of Sir Alexander Wood of Partick, he was born in Scotland and educated at Glasgow University and obtained a doctorate in 1907. That very year he went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow and tutor. At the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the electron, Wood lectured on the work and history of the Cavendish Laboratory of which he was a well-known and active member. Future Nobelist George Paget Thomson, who attended Wood's lectures of physics, would comment later: "these were outstanding both in material and exposition, and impressed me greatly." Similarly, Alan Lindsay Mackay, who was Wood's student, mentioned him as one of his great professors and someone whose lectures were full of demonstrations. In addition, scientist Charles Alfred Coulson spoke of Alex as one of his three major influences, and Lawrence Bragg corresponded with him asking for help in his research. As a pupil of Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) at the University of Glasgow, Wood acquired some of his religious practices as the habit of praying before lecturing. He was a devout Christian and active member of the Church of Scotland in Cambridge, worshiping regularly at St Columba's Church in Downing Street and held Bible lessons and spoke about the relation between science and religion.