author
C. V. (Charles Vernon) Boys
1855–1944
A gifted experimental physicist and inventor, he became famous for making delicate measurements possible with remarkable precision. He also loved explaining science clearly, sharing it through books and public lectures as well as the laboratory.
1 Audiobook
Soap-Bubbles and the Forces Which Mould Them
by C. V. (Charles Vernon) Boys
About the author
Born in Wing, Rutland, on March 15, 1855, Charles Vernon Boys was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal School of Mines. He built a reputation as an ingenious British physicist whose experiments were admired for their care, originality, and practical skill.
Boys is especially remembered for his work with quartz fibres, which he used to measure extremely small forces, and for inventing sensitive scientific instruments. He also worked on high-speed photography and wrote popular science books, helping bring difficult ideas within reach of general readers.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society at a young age and was later knighted. Boys died on March 30, 1944, leaving behind a legacy as both a brilliant experimenter and a lively communicator of science.