scholarly journals Helmholtz and the British scientific elite: From force conservation to energy conservation

Author(s):  
David Cahan

This article discusses the close relationship that developed during the 1850s and 1860s between Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–94), one of the leading German scientists during the second half of the nineteenth century, and the British scientific elite generally. It focuses especially on the importance of the law of conservation of energy to both sides of that relationship as the law emerged and became popularized. In presenting this Anglo-German relationship, the article relates Helmholtz's friendships or acquaintanceships with numerous members of the British elite, including William Thomson, John Tyndall, Henry Enfield Roscoe, Michael Faraday, Edward Sabine, Henry Bence Jones, George Gabriel Stokes, James Clerk Maxwell, Peter Guthrie Tait, George Biddell Airy and James Thomson. It suggests that the building of these social relationships helped create a sense of trust between Helmholtz and the British elite that, in turn, eased the revision of the understanding of the law of conservation of force into that of energy and consolidated its acceptance, and that laid the personal groundwork for Helmholtz's future promotion of Maxwell's electromagnetic theory in Germany and for Anglo-German agreements in electrical metrology.

2019 ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
Matthew Stanley

Today the laws of physics are often seen as evidence for a naturalistic worldview. However, historically, physics was usually considered compatible with belief in God. Foundations of physics such as thermodynamics, uniformity of nature, and causality were seen as religiously based by physicists such as James Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. These were usually interpreted as evidence of design by a creative deity. In the late nineteenth century, John Tyndall and other scientific naturalists made the argument that these foundations were more sympathetic to a non-religious understanding of the natural world. With the success of this approach, twentieth-century religious physicists tended to stress non-material and experiential connections rather than looking for evidence of design. Later parts of that century saw a revival of natural theological arguments in the form of the anthropic principle and the fine-tuning problem. While modern physics is naturalistic, this was not inevitable and there were several alternative approaches common in earlier times.


Author(s):  
David Cahan

This article analyses the awarding of the Royal Society's Copley Medal to James Prescott Joule (1870), Julius Robert Mayer (1871) and Hermann Helmholtz (1873) in the wake of the establishment of the law of conservation of energy during the 1850s and 1860s. It seeks to reconstruct the context in which the awards occurred, emphasizing at once a combination of individual scientific achievement, advocacy on behalf of Joule's supporters, nationalism, and the special role that Helmholtz played thanks to the strong social relationship that he had developed with the British scientific elite in the two decades before receiving his award, the last of the three. The award in turn strengthened that relationship, as the great subject of discussion in physics now gradually turned from thermodynamics to electromagnetism and to reaching practical agreements in electrical metrology between the British, the Germans and others.


Author(s):  
Robert T. Hanlon

Being raised on the caloric theory in which heat is a conserved quantity, Thomson faced challenges in accepting Clausius’ analysis of Carnot’s heat engine. Once he finally overcame these challenges, helped by collaborating with his brother James, Thomson accepted and then furthered Clausius’ work by proposing a different perspective of Clausius’ 2nd Principle and the 2nd Law of Tthermodynamics: energy dissipation. This chapter concludes with the role Hermann von Helmholtz played in bringing a rational approach to a thermodynamic science based on cause–effect.


‘It has been said by its opponents that science divorces itself from literature; but the statement, like so many others, arises from lack of knowledge.’ John Tyndall, 1874 Although we are used to thinking of science and the humanities as separate disciplines, in the nineteenth century that division was not recognized. As the scientist John Tyndall pointed out, not only were science and literature both striving to better 'man's estate', they shared a common language and cultural heritage. The same subjects occupied the writing of scientists and novelists: the quest for 'origins', the nature of the relation between society and the individual, and what it meant to be human. This anthology brings together a generous selection of scientific and literary material to explore the exchanges and interactions between them. Fed by a common imagination, scientists and creative writers alike used stories, imagery, style, and structure to convey their meaning, and to produce work of enduring power. The anthology includes writing by Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin, Sir Humphry Davy, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Michael Faraday, Thomas Malthus, Louis Pasteur, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Mark Twain and many others, and introductions and notes guide the reader through the topic's many strands. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


Author(s):  
A. A. Solomashkin ◽  
M. N. Kostomakhin

Two basic functions of the machine, consumer and technical are given. Application the law of conservation of energy is shown in case of the description of an energy balance of an element of the machine. The expanded concept of technical condition in relation to the machine is this, parameters of technical condition are justified. Communications of technical condition with operability and working capacity and also communication of operability of an element of the machine with its efficiency are defined. The possibility of representation of technical condition in the form of сlass in object-oriented programming is revealed.


Author(s):  
Syarif Dahlan

Aware of gender discrimintaion of women and students of women in different countries, so they protest and movement finally manage to do some conference that have produced Convention On The Elimination Of All Form Of Diskrimination Against Women   (CEDAW). Indonesia has ratified CEDAW with Law No. 7, 1984. But until now gender discrimination still occurs in all facets of life and society. One of them is a fimale civil servant in Sumbawa regency. Discrimination that has accurred not given the opportunity to accupy the fimale civil servant echelon-echelon II and III. In connection with the second echelon echelon II or III on Sumbawa Regency :      1) What are the forms of gender discrimination against fimale civil servants. 2) What factors are causing it, and 3) What is the form of legal protection against civil servants are women from gender discrimination. This study includes empirical legal research aims to determine the effectiveness of the law and the legal vacuum in the administration and management of government, particularly in women civil servants in positions echelon II or III. Dates collected were analyzed with descriptive analytic techniques. These form of discrimination against women in Sumbawa civil servants include marginalization and subordination, the factors that cause it was a mistake in the interpretation and implementation   gender equality, influence the understanding and application of Islamic teachings, political and cultural factors shame, geographical factors tough, close relationship with the ruling factor, factor in the civil servants streotif women and a heavier workload factor for women. Moderate forms of legal protection can be seen from the substance of the law, the legal structure and legal culture.


Author(s):  
Ninik Hartariningsih ◽  
Esti Ningrum ◽  
Wahyu Hariadi

ABSTRACT The number of cases or disputes in the field of land, one of which is due to the existence of multiple certificates, in which this problem can be caused by good ethics and good ethics. This is because land has a close relationship with humans, both for housing and for business. Therefore, the law requires the owner of land rights to register their land, so that they have legal guarantees and guarantees of their rights. Double certificates occur in the case of land being abandoned by a certified owner, for a period of more than 20 years so that the land grows with a thicket, which is then controlled by someone else in good faith for more than 20 years, then the person increases his right of ownership. This is justified by law because the person has controlled the land for more than 20 years, in addition, because the land has been neglected for more than 20 years, the right to annul the land is controlled by the State. Keywords: BPN/ATR, Solution, Double Certificate Abstrak. Banyaknya kasus/sengketa dibidang pertanahan, yang salah satunya adalah karena adanya sertifikat ganda, yang mana masalah ini dapat dikarenakan etikat tidak baik maupun etikat baik. Hal ini dikarenakan bahwa tanah mempunyai hubungan yang erat dengan manusia, baik untuk tempat tinggal maupun untuk berusaha. Oleh karenanya Undang- Undang mewajibkan sipemilik hak atas tanah untuk mendaftarkan tanahnya, agar mempunyai jaminan hukum dan jaminan haknya. Sertifikat ganda terjadi dalam hal tanah ditelantarkan oleh pemiliknya yang sudah bersertifikat, dalam jangka waktu lebih dari 20 tahun sehingga tanah tersebut tumbuh semak belukat, yang kemudian dikuasai oleh orang lain dengan itikat baik selama lebih dari 20 tahun, kemudian orang tersebut meningkatkan haknya menjadi hak milik.Hal ini dibenarkan oleh undang-undang karena org tersebut telah menguasai tanah tersebut selama lebih dari 20 tahun, selain itu karena tanah tersebut ditelntarkan selama lebih Dri 20 tahun, maka haknya hapus tanah dikuasai oleh Negara. Kata Kunci : BPN/ATR, Penyelesaian, Sertifikat Ganda


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