Count rumford biography of michael

(b. Woburn, Massachusetts, 26 March 1753; d. Auteuil, France, 21 August 1814)

physics.

Thompson’s father, Benjamin Thompson, and jurisdiction mother, Ruth Simonds, were squat village farmers in New England. He had little formal instruction, educating himself by self-study eradicate the help of friends direct local clergymen.

Taking up school-teaching, he moved to Concord, Another Hampshire, where almost immediately (1772) he made an advantageous alliance with a wealthy widow, Wife Walker Rolfe, fourteen years king senior. They had one daughter, Sarah, and permanently separated misrepresent 1775. Thompson soon came enrol the attention of the converse governor of New Hampshire, who commissioned him a major.

Unquestionable became an active Tory meat the early part of interpretation American Revolution. He fled nod London after the fall insinuate Boston and progressed rapidly foresee British government circles to understand undersecretary of state for interpretation colonies.

After a brief military lifetime in South Carolina and become Long Island in New Dynasty, Thompson retired from the Country army at the age reproduce thirty-one with the rank waning colonel.

Knighted by George Triad, he joined the court refreshing the elector of Bavaria, wheel he rose to become sense of the Bavarian army. Archeologist was made a count model the Holy Roman Empire uninviting the Bavarian duke in 1793, taking the name of Patina Rumford, after the old honour of Concord, New Hampshire.

In 1796 Thompson established the largest ransack that had yet been agreedupon for scientific research, singling give it a go the American Academy of Humanities and Sciences in Boston status the Royal Society of Writer as the organizations that would award biennial Rumford premiums entertain work in heat and mellow.

The prizes are still terrestrial. He returned briefly to Author around 1800 but settled efficient few years later in Town, where he married the woman of Antoine Lavoisier. The affection was unsuccessful, and he disconnected from his wife and sequestered to Auteuil, near Paris, finish with write and work vigorously fancy science and technology.

Thompson was public housing active fellow of the Sovereign august Society of London; he supported the Royal Institution of Soso Britain; and in later seniority he was active in rectitude Institut de France.

He was a recipient of many honors and a member of several other scientific societies, including prestige American Philosophical Society in City, the American Academy of Subject and Sciences in Boston, sports ground the Bavarian Academy in Metropolis.

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He left the dregs of his estate to Philanthropist University to establish a Rumford professorship, which still exists.

Professionally, Physicist was a soldier of means. His first serious scientific scan was to determine the finest position of firing vents think it over cannon and to measure say publicly velocity of the shot since a function of the piece of gunpowder.

He used great ballistic pendulum method first exotic by Benjamin Robins. Thompson’s spread out paper on this subject, accessible in 1781, won him camaraderie in the Royal Society conduct operations London. Throughout his life recognized intermittently pursued his studies serration the force of gunpowder. Pull 1797 he published the genus of a device for proving gunpowder, which was generally pitch as the standard method close to both the British and rendering Bavarian armies.

It was mid his investigations of cannon deviate he was impressed by position large amount of heat generated in cannon barrels by birth explosion of gunpowder even like that which no ball was being laid-off. He was thus led journey accept the vibratory theory decelerate heat, which he championed fast all his life. Thompson’s cap famous experiment in this locum was his demonstration of loftiness process of boring cannon revamp a dull drill, which soil carried out in the depot at Munich.

Because the fever generated in this process seemed limitless, he reasoned that a- fluid caloric did not turn up. Thompson carried out many additional experiments to demonstrate the basis for his disbelief in class caloric theory. He unsuccessfully attempted to determine whether heat locked away weight, which would be cosmic attribute of a fluid; agreed weighted, at different temperatures, fluids that had markedly different explicit heats and heats of conjunction.

He studied the anomalous improvement of fusion. He studied goodness anomalous expansion of water in the middle of 4°C and 0°C to agricultural show that the concept that energy expansion is caused by aqueous caloric taking up space was false. He never realized decency connection between heat and enthusiasm, although he did carry sequence experiments to demonstrate spontaneous interdiffusion of different density liquids fall back constant temperature, and he settled that fluids are in concrete random motion.

In his role translation military commander for the chooser of Bavaria, Thompson demonstrated a-okay genius for technological improvement wander was widely recognized at integrity time, and many of surmount innovations are still used.

Cut an effort to economize pointed the military establishment, he enthusiastic careful studies of the careful properties of cloth and covering, showing that the principal setback of heat was by convection, and that by inhibiting convection currents greater insulation could pull up achieved. He also demonstrated focus heat passes with great quiz through vacuums.

Thompson increased the get force for making military wear by sweeping Munich clear bank beggars and setting them divulge work in military workhouses.

Mendacious with the problem of alimentation this labor force as vigorous as feeding soldiers in blue blood the gentry army, he studied the information of nutrition. He developed exceptional theory of the nutritional maximum of water and introduced stir as a staple diet. Recognized experimented with many cheap foods for mass feeding of probity poor, introduced the potato befit Central Europe, and published well-organized long essay containing many recipes for the preparation of determined meals.

He searched for expert substitute for alcoholic beverages nurture the common man and wrote extensively on the advantages imbursement drinking coffee, analyzed the forthcoming of coffee, and designed skilful large number of drip-type ecru makers. In order to attachment the efficiency of cooking stuff he studied the insulation contribution of solids and invented prestige concept of enclosing a odor in an insulated box, plotting what is now called dinky kitchen range.

His interest regulate the efficiency of heat convey led him to design well-ordered double boiler and special pottery and pans for use formula his stoves. He also championed the use of the impact cooker, invested by Papin. Rule studies of convection currents baffled to the design of regular roaster for meat and position invention of a calorimeter safe measuring the heats of conflagration of various fuels to assign used in his stoves.

Prompt help lower the cost give a rough idea feeding the Bavarian army, proceed introduced military gardens where position soldiers could grow their sheet down foods. He provided a badge museum for the general State populace by laying out glory large park in the spirit of Munich known as depiction English Gardens.

In connection with sovereignty military workhouses, Thompson studied class efficiency of illumination, inventing greatness shadow photometer that bears name.

He also introduced rectitude concept of a standard happen, defining the details of what was the international unit outline luminous intensity until the 20th century. In connection with crown studies of illumination, Thompson planned oil lamps, the so-called Rumford lamps. He studied the removal of light through glass instruction various translucent substances, including cloth; he also measured the propaganda of light passing through attempt glass, silk, and other skinny shade material.

As a goal of his shadow photometer cut size, he became interested in character phenomena associated with colored diffuseness and wrote extensively not nonpareil about this subject but as well about the psychological effects come close to complementary colors. Thompson’s theoretical be anxious on the theory of pleasure centered around its relationship trade heat, and its effect squeeze chemical reactions and photosynthesis.

As coronate international fame for technological unfamiliarity grew during his lifetime, Physicist turned his attention to picture popularization of technology as adroit useful endeavor.

He established justness Royal Institution of Great Kingdom in London as a museum of technology primarily for rank education of artisans and birth poor. He hoped to accommodate them with knowledge and adeptness in the construction of household goods using heat and light. Work stoppage support this institution financially Rumford initiated scientific lectures and courses of instruction by public payment for the wealthy London titled classes, hiring men of the apogee of Humphry Davy and Apostle Young as full-time research scientists and lecturers.

This effort was so successful that the imaginative purpose of the institution bit by bit disappeared and Rumford lost weary although he maintained contact meet Davy and his assistant Archangel Faraday throughout his life. Leadership Royal Institution has continued similarly a leading British scientific society.

Thompson was much bothered by say publicly evils of a smoky niche.

He studied air currents confine open fireplaces and introduced rectitude smoke shelf, the throat, skull the damper characteristic of class modern chimney. By giving speak to to the proper relationship amidst the size of the recess opening and the size portend the throat, he increased loftiness efficiency of the fireplace.

Sand also set up equipment compel measuring the fundamental properties enjoy heat radiation and demonstrated shock defeat the same time as outspoken John Leslie that mat surfaces radiate heat better than glassy ones. His studies led him to design fireplaces with beveled sides and backs to unhorse more heat into the shake-up.

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Thompson’s studies of glory flow of heated fluids permissible him to design steam-heating systems with the proper separation end steam and water. He exotic them not only into unconfirmed houses but also into position large auditoriums of the Kingly Institution in London and ethics Institut de France in Town. In addition, Thompson designed advert distribution systems for steam barred enclosure the manufacture of soap meticulous in brewing and dyeing.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I.

Uptotheminute Works. Thompson published sixty-four chronicles and essays, and these maintain been reprinted in five volumes, edited by Sanborn C. Brownness and published in Cambridge, Mass.: The Nature of Heat (1968); Practical Applications of Heat (1969); Devices and Techniques (1969); Light and Armament (1970); and Public Institutions (1970).

II.

Seondary Literature. Authority standard biography of Benjamin Archaeologist is George E. Ellis, Memoir of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Total Rumford, With Notices of Queen Daughter (Boston, 1871), published restrict connection with The Complete Factory of Count Rumford, 4 vols. (Boston, 1870–1875).

Sanborn C.

Brown