Eötvös

Eötvös is a Hungarian surname derived from ötvös, meaning smith. In non-diacritic contexts the name is often rendered as Otvos. The surname is associated with several notable Hungarians and with various scientific terms and institutions named in honor of them.

Loránd Eötvös (1848–1919) was a Hungarian physicist renowned for precision experiments on gravitation and the equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass. He developed the Eötvös balance and conducted torsion-balance experiments that strengthened the empirical basis of the equivalence principle, contributing to gravimetry and geodesy. The Eötvös experiment and related apparatus remain influential in experimental gravitation.

In fluid mechanics, the Eötvös number (Eg) is a dimensionless parameter that compares gravity to surface tension for a liquid body, used to describe drop deformation and capillarity phenomena. The term reflects Eötvös’s broader impact on physical science.

Institutions bearing the name include Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, a major Hungarian university named in honor of Loránd Eötvös. The surname K is also associated with other Hungarian figures, such as József Eötvös, a 19th-century writer and statesman who played a significant role in Hungarian politics and culture.