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William Gilbert Robert Hooke
William Gilbert Robert Hooke
William Gilbert Robert Hooke
15441603 English
hypothesized that the Earth is a giant magnet performed fundamental observations, experiments, and mathematical analyses in astronomy and physics; discovered mountains and craters on the moon, the phases of Venus, and the four largest satellites of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede discovered law of refraction (Snell's law) discovered that pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted undiminished to every part of the fluid and to the walls of its container (Pascal's principle) proposed a simple geometrical wave theory of light, now known as ``Huygen's principle''; pioneered use of the pendulum in clocks
Robert Hooke
16351703 English
discovered Hooke's law of elasticity developed theories of gravitation and mechanics, and invented differential calculus developed the fundamental relationship of fluid flow now known as Bernoulli's principle
16431727 English
Galileo Galilei
15641642 Italian
Daniel Bernoulli
17001782 Swiss
Benjamin Franklin
Willebrod Snell
15801626 Dutch
the first American physicist; 1706characterized two 1790 kinds of electric American charge, which he named ``positive'' and ``negative'' made fundamental contributions to fluid dynamics, lunar orbit theory (tides), and mechanics; also contributed prolifically to all areas of classical mathematics discovered and studied hydrogen; first to measure Newton's gravitational constant; calculated mass and mean density of Earth experiments on elasticity,
Blaise Pascal
16231662 French
Leonard Euler
17071783 Swiss
Christiaan Huygens
16291695 Dutch
Henry Cavendish
17311810 British
Charles Augustin
17361806
de Coulomb
French
electricity, and magnetism; established experimentally nature of the force between two charges developed new methods of analytical mechanics invented the modern condensing steam engine and a centrifugal governor pioneer in study of electricity; invented the first electric battery established the differential equation governing heat diffusion and solved it by devising an infinite series of sines and cosines capable of approximating a wide variety of functions studied light and color; known for his double-slit experiment that demonstrated the wave nature of light studied polarization of light; codiscovered that intensity of Andr Marie Ampre 17751836 French
magnetic field set up by a current flowing through a wire varies inversely with the distance from the wire father of electrodynamics developed hypothesis that all gases at same volume, pressure, and temperature contain same number of atoms formulated separate electrostatic and electrodynamical laws, including ``Gauss' law''; contributed to development of number theory, differential geometry, potential theory, theory of terrestrial magnetism, and methods of calculating planetary orbits discovered that a current in a wire can produce magnetic effects deduced ``Brewster's law'' giving the angle of incidence that produces reflected light which is
JosephLouis Lagrange
17361813 French
James Watt
17361819 Scottish
Amadeo Avogadro
17761856 Italian
Joseph Fourier
17681830 French
17771855 German
Thomas Young
17731829 British
17771851 Danish
JeanBabtiste Biot
17741862 French
17811868 English
completely polarized; invented the kaleidoscope and the stereoscope, and improved the spectroscope AugustinJean Fresnel 17881827 French studied transverse nature of light waves discovered that current flow is proportional to potential difference and inversely proportional to resistance (Ohm's law) discovered electromagnetic induction and devised first electrical transformer co-discovered that intensity of magnetic field set up by a current flowing through a wire varies inversely with the distance from the wire founded the science of thermodynamics
Georg Ohm
17891854 German
Michael Faraday
17911867 English
Felix Savart
17911841 French
Sadi Carnot
17961832 French
Joseph Henry