Benjamin Thompson
Born	March 26, 1753(1753-03-26) Woburn, MA
Died	August 21, 1814 (aged 61)
Fields	Physics

Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford (in German: Reichsgraf von Rumford), FRS (26 March 1753 – 21 August 1814) was an Anglo-American physicist and inventor whose challenges to established physical theory were part of the 19th century revolution in thermodynamics. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1753 ( MDCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1814 ( MDCCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1753 ( MDCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1814 ( MDCCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common English Americans (occasionally known as Anglo -Americans although this may have a wider cultural meaning are Citizens of the United States whose ancestry Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. An inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method form device or other useful means Theoretical physics employs Mathematical models and Abstractions of Physics in an attempt to explain experimental data taken of the natural world The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively In Physics, thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη therme meaning " Heat " and δυναμις dynamis meaning "

Early life in America

Thompson was born in rural Woburn, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1753; his birthplace is preserved to this day as a museum. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1753 ( MDCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Woburn Massachusetts Library with statue of Benjamin Thompson He was educated mainly at the village school, although he sometimes walked to Cambridge with the older Loammi Baldwin to attend lectures by Professor John Winthrop at Harvard College. Colonel Loammi Baldwin ( January 10 1744 - October 20 1807) was a noted American engineer politician and a soldier in the American Revolutionary Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a Private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to John Appleton, a merchant of nearby Salem. Merchants function as professionals who deal with Trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves in order to produce Profit. Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Thompson excelled at his trade, and coming in contact with refined and well educated people for the first time, adopted many of their characteristics, including an interest in science. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding While recuperating in Woburn in 1769 from an injury, Thompson conducted experiments concerning the nature of heat and began to correspond with Loammi Baldwin and others about them. Year 1769 ( MDCCLXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature Colonel Loammi Baldwin ( January 10 1744 - October 20 1807) was a noted American engineer politician and a soldier in the American Revolutionary Later that year, he worked for a few months for a Boston shopkeeper and then apprenticed himself briefly, and unsuccessfully, to a doctor in Woburn.

Thompson's prospects were dim in 1772 but in that year they changed abruptly. Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a He met, charmed and married a rich and well-connected heiress named Sarah Rolfe, moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and through his wife's influence with the governor, was appointed a major in a New Hampshire Militia. Portsmouth is a City in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680 by New Hampshire Colonial "President" John Cutt.

When the American Revolution began, Thompson was a man of property and standing in New England, and was opposed to the rebels. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" He was active in recruiting loyalists to fight the rebels. This article concerns Loyalists in the American Revolution. For information on the role of those Loyalists in Canadian history after their emigration see United Empire This article concerns Patriots in the American Revolution. For other uses see Patriot (disambiguation. This earned him the enmity of the popular party, and a mob attacked Thompson's house. He fled to the British lines, abandoning his wife, as it turned out, forever. Thompson was welcomed by the British, to whom he gave valuable information about the American forces, and became an advisor to both General Gage and Lord Germain. Thomas Gage (1719 April 2, 1787) was a British general and commander in chief of the North American forces from 1763 to 1775 during the early days of the George Germain 1st Viscount Sackville PC ( 26 January 1716 &ndash 26 August 1785) also known previously first as Lord George

While working with the British armies in America, he conducted experiments concerning the force of gunpowder, the results of which were widely acclaimed when eventually published, in 1781, in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Year 1781 ( MDCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or Phil Trans The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 ^[1] Thus, when he moved to London at the conclusion of the war, he already had a reputation as a scientist. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Bavarian maturity

The beer garden "Am chinesischen Turm" in the Englischer Garten in Munich

In 1785, he moved to Bavaria where he became an aide-de-camp to the Prince-elector Karl Theodor. The Englischer Garten or "English Garden" is a large urban public park in the centre of Munich, Germany, stretching from the city centre to the northeastern Year 1785 ( MDCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 An aide-de-camp ( French for camp assistant) is a personal assistant secretary or Adjutant to a person of high rank usually a senior military officer The Prince-Electors (or simply Electors) of the Holy Roman Empire ( German: Kurfürst ( pl Karl Theodor Prince-Elector Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria (December 1724 &ndash February 16, 1799) reigned as Prince-Elector and Count He spent eleven years in Bavaria, reorganising the army and establishing workhouses for the poor. A workhouse, colloquially known as a spike was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work During his work he also invented the Rumford Soup, a nutritious soup for the poor, and established the cultivation of the potato in Bavaria. Rumford's Soup was an early effort in scientific Nutrition. It was invented by Count Rumford around 1800 as a ration for the prisoners and the poor of Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support Soup is a Food that is made by combining ingredients such as Meat and Vegetables in stock or hot/boiling Water, until the flavor The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae He invented the wax candle to replace the smokey tallow or beef fat ones. He also founded the Englischer Garten in Munich which remains today and is known as one of the largest urban public parks in the world. The Englischer Garten or "English Garden" is a large urban public park in the centre of Munich, Germany, stretching from the city centre to the northeastern

Experiments on heat

His experiments on gunnery and explosives led to an interest in heat. A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. An explosive material is a material that either is chemically or otherwise Energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied He devised a method for measuring the specific heats of solids but was disappointed that Johan Wilcke had priority. Specific heat capacity, also known simply as specific heat, is the measure of the heat energy required to increase the Temperature of a unit quantity A solid' object is in the States of matter characterized by resistance to Deformation and changes of Volume. Johan Carl Wilcke was a Swedish Physicist. Wilcke was born in Wismar, son of a clergyman who in 1739 was appointed second pastor of the German

Thompson next investigated the insulating properties of various materials including fur, wool and feathers. The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of Heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures He correctly appreciated that the insulating properties of these natural materials arise from the fact that they inhibit the convection of air. Convection in the most general terms refers to the movement of molecules within Fluids (i Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five He then made the somewhat reckless, and incorrect, inference that air and, in fact, all gases, were perfect non-conductors of heat^[2][3]. Inference is the act or process of deriving a Conclusion based solely on what one already knows This page is about the physical properties of gas as a state of matter Heat conduction or thermal conduction is the spontaneous transfer of thermal energy through matter from a region of higher Temperature to a region of lower He further saw this as evidence of the argument from design, contending that divine providence had arranged for fur on animals in such a way as to guarantee their comfort. A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an Argument for the Existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order purpose design In Theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty superintendence or agency of God over events in people's lives and throughout

To understand the significance of Rumford's work in the context of the development of thermodynamics, see timeline Edit

In 1797, he extended his claim about non-conductivity to liquids^[4]. The history of thermodynamics is a fundamental strand in the History of physics, the History of chemistry, and the History of science in general A timeline of events related to Thermodynamics, Statistical mechanics, and Random processes Ancient times c Year 1797 ( MDCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Liquid is one of the principal States of matter. A liquid is a Fluid that has the particles loose and can freely form a distinct surface at the boundaries of The idea raised considerable objections from the scientific establishment, John Dalton^[5] and John Leslie^[6] making particularly forthright attacks. John Dalton FRS (6 September 1766 &ndash 27 July 1844 was an English Chemist, Meteorologist and Physicist. Sir John Leslie ( April 10, 1766 - November 3, 1832) was a Scottish Mathematician and Physicist best remembered Instrumentation far exceeding anything available in terms of accuracy and precision would have been needed to verify Thompson's claim. Again, he seems to have been influenced by his theological beliefs^[7] and it is likely that he wished to grant water a privileged and providential status in the regulation of human life^[8]. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.

Mechanical equivalent of heat

However, his most important scientific work took place in Munich, and centred on the nature of heat, which he contended in An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat which is Excited by Friction (1798) was not the caloric of then-current scientific thinking but a form of motion. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat which is Excited by Friction, (1798 Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society p Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In Physics, motion means a constant change in the location of a body Rumford had observed the frictional heat generated by boring cannon at the arsenal in Munich. Rumford immersed a cannon barrel in water and arranged for a specially blunted boring tool. He showed that the water could be boiled within roughly two and a half hours and that the supply of frictional heat was seemingly inexhaustible. Rumford confirmed that no physical change had taken place in the material of the cannon by comparing the specific heats of the material machined away and that remaining were the same.

Rumford argued that the seemingly indefinite generation of heat was incompatible with the caloric theory. He contended that the only thing communicated to the barrel was motion.

Plan of Rumford fire place

Rumford made no attempt to further quantify the heat generated or to measure the mechanical equivalent of heat. Though this work met with a hostile reception, it was subsequently important in establishing the laws of conservation of energy later in the 19th century. In Physics, the law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of Energy in an isolated system remains constant and cannot be created although it may The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

Section of Rumford fire place

Fireplaces

Thompson was an active inventor, developing improvements for chimneys and fireplaces and inventing the double boiler, a kitchen range, and a drip coffeepot. A chimney is a system for venting hot Flue gases or Smoke from a Boiler, Stove, Furnace or Fireplace to the outside A fireplace is an architectural element consisting of a space designed to contain a Fire, generally for Heating but sometimes also for Cooking A coffee pot is a Kitchen implement a Cooking pot in the Kettle family The Rumford fireplace is considered to be an efficient way to heat a room, and created a sensation in London when he introduced the idea of restricting the chimney opening to increase the updraught. The Rumford fireplace is a tall shallow Fireplace designed by Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford born 1753 in Woburn Massachusetts, an Anglo-American He and his workers changed fireplaces by inserting bricks into the hearth to make the side walls angled and added a choke to the chimney to increase the speed of air going up the flue. It effectively produced a streamlined air flow, so all the smoke would go up into the chimney rather than lingering and often choking the residents. Many fashionable London houses were modified to his instructions, and became smoke-free. Thompson became a celebrity when news of his success became widespread.

Rumford's coffee percolator

The retention of heat is something of a leitmotif, as he is also credited with the invention of thermal underwear^[9]. A leitmotif (ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf (also leitmotiv; lit "leading motif" is a recurring Musical theme, associated with a particular person place Long underwear, often called long johns, is a style of two-piece Underwear with long sleeves and long legs that is normally worn during cold weather Furthermore he was socially active as founder of Munich's Englischer Garten in 1789. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. The Englischer Garten or "English Garden" is a large urban public park in the centre of Munich, Germany, stretching from the city centre to the northeastern Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Later life

After 1799, he divided his time between France and England. Year 1799 ( MDCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. With Sir Joseph Banks, he established the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1799. Sir Joseph Banks 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (13 February 1743 &ndash 19 June 1820 was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research based in London. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The pair chose Sir Humphry Davy as the first lecturer. Sir Humphry Davy 1st Baronet FRS MRIA (17 December 1778 &ndash 29 May 1829 was a British Chemist and inventor He endowed the Rumford medals of the Royal Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and endowed a professorship at Harvard University. Not to be confused with the Rumford Prize In 1796, Benjamin Thompson known as Count Rumford, gave $5000 separately to the Royal The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS is an organization dedicated to scholarship and the advancement of learning

Statue of Thompson outside the library of his hometown, Woburn, Massachusetts. (A copy of the original in Munich. )

In 1804, he married Marie-Anne Lavoisier, the widow of the great French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, his American wife having died since his emigration. Year 1804 ( MDCCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Marie-Anne Pierette Paulze ( January 20 1758 – February 10 1836) "the mother of modern chemistry" was born in the town of Montbrison This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A chemist is a Scientist trained in the Science of Chemistry. They soon separated, but Thompson settled in Paris and continued his scientific work until his death on August 21, 1814. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

Thompson is buried in the small cemetery of Auteuil in Paris, just across from Adrien-Marie Legendre. Adrien-Marie Legendre ( September 18 1752 – January 10 1833) was a French Mathematician.

Grave of Count Rumford (Paris)

Honours

• Colonel, Kings American Dragoons
• Knighted, 1784. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Year 1784 ( MDCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
• Count of the Holy Roman Empire 1791
• The Rumford crater on the Moon is named for him. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Rumford is a lunar Impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon.
• Rumford baking powder (patented 1859) is named after him, having been invented by a former Rumford professor at Harvard University, Eben Norton Horsford (1818-1893), cofounder of the Rumford Chemical Works of East Providence RI. Baking powder is a dry chemical Leavening agent used in cooking mainly baking

See also

• Benjamin Thompson House
• Royal Institution
• Thermodynamics

Notes

1. ^ Benjamin Thompson (1781). Woburn Massachusetts Library with statue of Benjamin Thompson The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research based in London. In Physics, thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη therme meaning " Heat " and δυναμις dynamis meaning " "New Experiments upon Gun-Powder, with Occasional Observations and Practical Inferences". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 71: 229-328. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or Phil Trans  
2. ^ Rumford (1786) "New experiments upon heat" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society p. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or Phil Trans 273
3. ^ Rumford (1792) "Experiments upon heat" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society p. 48-80
4. ^ Rumford (1797) "On the propagation of heat in fluids" Nicholson's Journal 1 pp298-341
5. ^ Cardwell (1971) p. William Nicholson (1753&mdash May 21, 1815) was a renowned English chemist who was also a writer on natural philosophy and chemistry as well as a translator 99
6. ^ Leslie, J. (1804). An Experimental Enquiry into the Nature and Propagation of Heat. London.  
7. ^ Rumford (1804) "An enquiry concerning the nature of heat and the mode of its communication" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society p. 77
8. ^ Cardwell (1971) p. 102
9. ^ Prof. Michael Fowler of the University of Virginia, lecture notes: [1], and Have I Got News For You, first transmitted 16 December 2005, BBC1. Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Further reading

• Collected Works of Count Rumford, Harvard University Press, Edited by Sanborn C. Harvard University Press ( HUP) is a Publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in Academic publishing. Brown:
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume I, The Nature of Heat, (1968).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume II, Practical Applications of Heat, (1969).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume III, Devices and Techniques, (1969).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume IV, Light and Armament, (1970).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume V, Public Institutions, (1970).

Bibliography

• Brown, Sanborn C. (1962). Count Rumford: Physicist Extraordinary. Doubleday & Co.  
• Bradley, D. (1967). Count Rumford. Van Nostrand. ISBN B0000CM48T.  
• Brown, G. I. (2001). Count Rumford: The Extraordinary Life of a Scientific Genius - Scientist, Soldier, Statesman, Spy. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-262-02138-2.  
• Brown, S. C. (1981). Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. Cambridge USA: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-02138-2.  
• Cardwell, D. S. L. (1971). From Watt to Clausius: The Rise of Thermodynamics in the Early Industrial Age. London: Heinemann, 95-107. ISBN 0-435-54150-1.  
• Larsen, E. (1953). An American in Europe: The life of Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. Rider. ISBN B0000CII01.  
• Orton, V. (2000). The Forgotten Art of Building a Good Fireplace: The Story of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, an American Genius & His Principles of Fireplace Design Which Have Remained Unchanged for 174 Years. Alan C. Hood and Company Inc. ISBN 0-911469-17-6.  
• Sparrow, W. J. (1964). Knight of the White Eagle: A biography of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, 1753-1814. Hutchinson. ISBN B0000CM48T.  

External links

• Eric Weisstein's World of Science. "Rumford, Benjamin Thompson". (1753-1814)
• Dr. Hugh C. Rowlinson "The Contribution of Count Rumford to Domestic Life in Jane Austen’s Time" An article not only detailing the Rumford fireplace, but also Rumford's life and other achievements.
• Works by Benjamin Thompson (Benjamin, Graf von Rumford) at Project Gutenberg
• A Biography of Benjamin Thompson, Jr. Written in 1868
• Escutcheons of Science
• Woburn Historical Society: Count Rumford's Birth Place and Museum
• Count Rumford website