Hoyle's Youth

Chemical Balance

The young Hoyle became interested in astronomy and physics from books he borrowed from the local library, including Arthur Eddington’s Stars and Atoms. His enquiring mind also became interested in chemistry and his father bought him some equipment. Fred was soon making gunpowder and noxious phosphine gas, and staging explosions that terrified his younger sister, Joan. Hoyle used his chemistry set to undertake sometimes dangerous experiments. When interviewed for a place at Bingley Grammar School, Hoyle explained his experiment to make phosphine gas to Alan Smailes, the Headmaster. Smailes was undoubtedly impressed by Hoyle’s scientific promise, but warned him that he wouldn’t “be doing that here”.

The Hoyle Family | Chemical Balance | Scholarship Examination Papers | A Letter to his Father | Hoyle's Telescope

Further views of the balances: The Scales | The Weights

Hoyle's Youth | Hoyle in Cambridge | Steady-State Universe | Stellar Nucleosynthesis | Hoyle vs Ryle | Institute of Theoretical Astronomy | Hoyle on the Radio | Hoyle the Writer | Hoyle the Polymath | Honours and Medals

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