Sir Michael Berry

The Twelfth Hubert M. James Lecture

September 14, 2000

Sir Michael Berry

Royal Society Research Professor
Physics Department
Bristol University  

"Seven Wonders of Physics"

Sometimes, nature illustrates the abstract ideas of physics and mathematics in beautiful ways, and the ideas can be brought to life by simple demonstrations. My wonders include the great moon-driven river wave, light interference magnified in rainbows, the hair's-thread of fuel that powers a car, and the one-way spinner.

Brief Bio

Professor Berry has had a distinguished academic career. He started as a lecturer in Physics at Bristol University in 1965 and became the Professor of Physics there in 1979. Since 1988 he has been the Royal Society Research Professor at Bristol University. He has written two books and has over 300 research papers, review articles, and book reviews. Professor Berry has had many distinctions bestowed upon him including Knight Bachelor in 1996 and the Wolf Prize in Physics in 1998.

The Forder Lectureship was established in 1985 following a bequest to the London Mathematical Society from the late Professor Henry George Forder (Professor of Mathematics at the University of Auckland 1934-55).

Under the terms of this Lectureship, every two years an eminent matematician in the United Kingdom is selected (by the London Mathematical Society Council in consultation with the NZ Mathematical Society Council) to tour New Zealand for a period of three to four weeks and to give lectures in the six main NZ university centers.