James Prescott Joule

In this essay, the author

• Explains that james prescott joule was born at salford, near manchester, england, on december 24, 1818. he was the second of five children born to a wealthy brewery owner.
• Narrates how james joule recognized the key role that dalton played in his becoming a scientist. he was educated at home until he was 15.
• Explains that james and his brother continued their education part-time with private tutors in manchester. they were taught chemistry, physics, the scientific method, and mathematics by the famous english chemist john dalton.
• Narrates how james and his brother set up a laboratory in their home and began experimenting.
• Explains james' desire to study science as a natural consequence of his christian faith. joule began experiments involving mechanical work, electricity and heat.
• Explains that the amount of heat produced per second in a wire carrying an electric current equals the current (i) squared multiplied by the resistance
• Explains that joule's law was published by the royal society in 1843. he calculated the mechanical work needed to produce an equivalent amount of heat and presented his findings to the british association for the advancement of science.
• Explains that joule's work was recognized by lord kelvin, who began working with him in 1852. british scientists were reluctant to accept his work, but he patiently persisted.
• Explains that joule's findings challenged the caloric theory of heat which most physicists believed in at that time.
• Explains that joule's work on the relationship of heat, electricity and mechanical work was largely ignored until 1847, and thomson recognized it.
• Explains that joule's work fitted in with the unifying pattern that was beginning to emerge in physics and he enthusiastically endorsed his work.
• Explains that the royal society was prepared to give joule another hearing. he read his paper entitled 'on the mechanical equivalent of heat' to the society, with faraday as his sponsor.
• Explains that joule became the first scientist to estimate the velocity (speed) of gas molecules in a landmark paper published in 1848.
• Explains that joule became president of the british association for the advancement of science in 1872 and 1887. the unit of energy in physics was named the 'joule'.
• Analyzes how joule, the accurate and resourceful experimenter with limited training in mathematics, and thomson, a mathematically talented physicist concerned with extending the theory underlying physics complement each other perfectly.
• Describes how joule worked with thomson on a number of important experiments to confirm some of the predictions being made in the new discipline of thermodynamics.
• Explains that joule thomson's 'joule-thomson effect' provided the basis for the refrigeration industry. he took on the practical role of experimentally investigating theoretical issues raised by thomson.
• Opines that joule had earlier made great theoretical contributions in his own right.
• Analyzes how joule displayed an amazing clarity in conceiving, executing, and describing his experiments. his original notes were almost clear for publication without subsequent revision.
• Describes joule as a sincere christian who believed in god's will and obeyed it. he saw no contradiction between his scientific work and his confidence in the truth of the bible.
• Explains that james joule was among the prominent scientists who signed the declaration of students of the natural and physical sciences.
• Explains that joule firmly acknowledged god as creator. his words set out the priorities by which he lived.