Gibbs, Josiah Willard
Gibbs, Josiah Willard (1839-1903), a United States mathematician and physicist. Although one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the 19th century, Gibbs was almost unknown to the general public during his lifetime. He was indifferent to fame, and his colleagues found his work hard to understand.
Gibbs's phase rule, formulated in the 1870's, was a great advance in the study of physical chemistry. This rule makes it possible for chemists to determine in what proportions given substances can be combined to form a chemically stable mixture. The rule is used in the manufacturing of many products, including plastics, drugs, dyes, and serums. Gibbs also published works on optics, vector analysis, and statistical mechanics.
Gibbs was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of a Yale professor. He received a Ph.D. from Yale in 1863 and did postdoctoral work in Europe. He was professor of mathematical physics at Yale from 1871 to his death. In 1950 Gibbs was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.