John Farrar (scientist)

John Farrar
Born(1779-07-01)July 1, 1779
Lincoln, Massachusetts
DiedMay 8, 1853(1853-05-08) (aged 73)
Cambridge, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Alma materPhillips Academy, Andover
Harvard University
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics, philosophy
InstitutionsHarvard College

John Farrar (July 1, 1779 – May 8, 1853) was an American scholar. He first coined the concept of hurricanes as “a moving vortex and not the rushing forward of a great body of the atmosphere”, after the Great September Gale of 1815.[1][2][3] Farrar remained Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Harvard University between 1807 and 1836. During this time, he introduced modern mathematics into the curriculum. He was also a regular contributor to the scientific journals.

  1. ^ John Farrar (1819) "An account of the violent and destructive storm of the 23d of September, 1815," The Quarterly Journal of Literature, Science and the Arts, 7 : 102-106. From page 104: "In these cases, it appears to have been a moving vortex, and not the rushing forward of the great body of the atmosphere."
  2. ^ Norcross (2007). p. 96.
  3. ^ Fitzpatrick (2005). p. 108