John Henry Poynting (9.09.1852-30.03.1914) — an English physicist, a Fellow of the Royal Society (1888), its vice-president in 1910—11. He was born in Monton. He graduated from the University of London (1872) and the University of Cambridge (1876). In 1876 — 78 he worked at the University of Manchester, and in 1878 — 80 at the Cavendish Laboratory. From 1880 he was professor at Birmingham College, and from 1900 professor and dean of the faculty of science at the University of Birmingham.
His work concerned the study of electric phenomena, the transfer of energy, the theory of radiation and of the pressure of light, and radiation. In 1884 he introduced the concept of the flux of electromagnetic energy (the Umov — Poynting vector). In 1891 he measured the density of the Earth, and in 1893 the gravitational constant. In 1903 he put forward the idea of the retardation by sunlight of the heliocentric motion of cosmic bodies (the Poynting — Robertson effect). With the same effect he explained the turning of comet tails away from the Sun.
The Royal Medal (1905), the J. Adams Prize (1893) and others.