ADAMS, JottN (1772-1863). An American teacher. He was born in Connecticut, gradu ated at Yale, 1795, and after leaching for fifteen years in seeondary schools in New Jersey and his native State, beeanie principal of Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass. That place lie filled for twenty-three years, resigning in 1833. Beside' having built up one of the historic schools of New Ettaland, Dr, Adams is remembered as the schoolmaster of Oliver Wendell Holmes, and the subject of the lines: "Uneasy lie the head. of all that role— Ills most of a11 is hose ki»gil 's a school." Consult: M. E. II. and 11. G. B., The Story of John Adams, a _Nem Englund Schoolmaster t 900) .
ADAMS, .1oliN Coucti 11819-92). An Eng lish astronomer. He was born near Launceston, in Cornwall, and early manifested an aptitude for mathematics. After the usual amount of school training he was sent to St. John's College, Cambridge, where be attained the honor of senior wrangler, and became a mathematical tutor. In 1843 he attempted to ascertain by mathematical calculation whether certain observed irregulari ties in the motion of Uranus could be explained on the hypothesis of perturbation (q.v.) exer
cised by an exterior planet. The problem at issue was the inverse of the usual perturbation problem. Instead of computing the effect brought about by a planet of known mass pur suing a known orbit, it was required to deter mine the unknown cause of a known effect. By 1845 Adams had solved this new problem, and was able to assign to the hypothetical planet, the now well known Neptune, a position differing less than two degrees from its actual place in the sky. But a careful telescopic search was at the time postponed or neglected, so that the honor of the great discovery completing, Adams's math ematical researches by an observational verifi eation was lost to Great Britain. LeVerrier, of Paris, had been making an independent inves tigation, and by August 31, 1S46, he too bad determined Neptune's place in the sky. lie wrote to Guile at Berlin, and the latter found the planet on September 23 of the same year. This mathematical discovery of Neptune is justly counted among the greatest triumphs of science.