Beevers–Lipson strip explained
Beevers–Lipson strips were a computational aid for early crystallographers in calculating Fourier transforms to determine the structure of crystals from crystallographic data,[1] enabling the creation of models for complex molecules.[2] They were used from the 1930s until computers with enough power became generally available in the 1960s.
The technique was developed by C. Arnold Beevers (1908–2001),[3] reader in crystallography at the University of Edinburgh, and Henry Lipson CBE FRS (1910–1991), Professor of Physics at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. The approach converted the sizable calculations of multi-dimensional Fourier summations needed in crystallography analysis into sums of more manageable one-dimensional values. The folded card strips with numbers were typically stored in two wooden boxes,[4] one for sines[5] and one for cosines. Previously it was necessary to consult sine/cosine tables, a time-consuming process. The approach was used by the Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin OM FRS (1910–1994).[6] The technique is still used in modern computer programs.[7]
See also
Notes and References
- A Brief History of Fourier Methods in Crystal-structure Determination . C. A. . Beevers . C. Arnold Beevers . H. . Lipson . Henry Lipson . . 38 . 263–271 . 1985 . 3 . 1985AuJPh..38..263B . 10.1071/ph850263. free .
- Web site: The mechanism of Beevers–Lipson strips . Bob . Gould . BCA Newsletter . 8 . 3 . December 1998 . . 28 March 2014 .
- Web site: Cecil Arnold Beevers . Crystallography News . . 2001 . 28 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140329014642/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/obits_alpha/beevers_cecil.pdf . 29 March 2014 . dead .
- Web site: Beevers–Lipson strips in oak case . Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments . . USA . 28 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140329014117/http://dssmhi1.fas.harvard.edu/emuseumdev/code/emuseum.asp?emu_action=searchrequest&newsearch=1&moduleid=1&profile=objects¤trecord=1&searchdesc=Beevers-Lipson%20strips%20in%20oak%20case&style=single&rawsearch=id%2F%2C%2Fis%2F%2C%2F1172%2F%2C%2Ffalse%2F%2C%2Ftrue . 29 March 2014 . dead .
- Web site: Set of Beevers Lipson Strips, Sine Set, c.1936 . . Oxford . 80368 . 28 March 2014 .
- Web site: Nobel Lecture: The X-Ray Analysis Of Complicated Molecules . Dorothy Crowfoot . Hodgkin . Chemistry, Nobelstiftelsen . Amsterdam . . 70–94 . 11 December 1964 . 28 March 2014 .
- Book: November, Joseph A. . Biomedical Computing: Digitizing Life in the United States . 30 . . 2012 . 9781421404684 . 28 March 2014 .