ideas of physical chemistry to biology. Lotka dedicated his classic book on mathematical population biology to Poynting. Poynting predicted the `Poynting-Robertson effect', whereby a particle of dust orbiting a star experiences a drag force which makes it spiral slowly into the star. Howard P. Robertson later restated the prediction using General Relativity. Poynting also founded and is the namesake of the popular student society at the University of Birmingham, 'The Poynting Physical Society' or PPS. Craters on Mars and the Moon are named in his honour, as is the main Physics building at the University of Birmingham and the departmental society there, the Poynting Physical Society. He is credited with coining the expression "greenhouse effect" in 1909 to explain how infrared-absorbing trace gasses such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the surface temperature of Earth and Mars. Works by J. H. Poynting 1884 A Comparison of the Fluctuations in the Price of Wheat and in the Cotton and Silk Imports into Great Britain, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society; 47, 1884, pp. 34–64 1894 The Mean Density of the Earth London, C. Griffin 1899 (with J. J. Thomson) A Text-Book of Physics: volume I: Sound London, C. Griffin; 2nd edition, 1900 1902 (with J. J. Thomson) A Text-Book of Physics: volume II: Properties of Matter London, C. Griffin 1904 (with J. J. Thomson) A Text-Book of Physics: volume III: Heat London, C. Griffin 1913 The earth; its shape, size, weight and spin Cambridge University Press 1914 (with J. J. Thomson) A Text-Book of Physics: volume IV: Electricity and Magnetism. Pts. I and II: Static electricity and magnetism London, C. Griffin 1920 Collected Scientific Papers Cambridge University Press References External links 1852 births 1914 deaths English physicists Academics of the University of Birmingham Royal Medal winners Fellows of the Royal Society Presidents of the Physical Society