scholarly journals The Invention of the Steam Engine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle Forrester

This paper was written in order to examine the conditions needed, and the order of the discoveries made, for the invention of the steam engine. There were a number of conditions necessary for the invention of the steam engine. A vital one was the presence of a need, initially that of how to get water out of mines and later how to drive the new machinery that was being produced as part of the industrial revolution. But needs are common and they are not always met. The reasons why those needs were met was due to the scientific progress that was going on in 16th and 17th century Europe concerning the knowledge of atmospheric pressure, how to create vacuums and of the properties of gases. Allied to this scientific progress was a belief in Europe at the time that progress could be made and problems could be solved. The inventors at the time applied scientific knowledge to solving the problems that existed and after long periods of trial and error, including the development of new and better materials, were able to produce a working steam engine. Crucial to the progress made by the inventors was the diffusion of scientific and engineering knowledge which enabled them to build on each other’s work. The earlier development of printing was important to the diffusion process and the role of organizations such as the Royal Society was also important.

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
GIULIANO MORI

AbstractThis article engages the much-debated role of mathematics in Bacon's philosophy and inductive method at large. The many references to mathematics in Bacon's works are considered in the context of the humanist reform of the curriculum studiorum and, in particular, through a comparison with the kinds of natural and intellectual subtlety as they are defined by many sixteenth-century authors, including Cardano, Scaliger and Montaigne. Additionally, this article gives a nuanced background to the ‘subtlety’ commonly thought to have been eschewed by Bacon and by Bacon's self-proclaimed followers in the Royal Society of London. The aim of this article is ultimately to demonstrate that Bacon did not reject the use of mathematics in natural philosophy altogether. Instead, he hoped that following the Great Instauration a kind of non-abstract mathematics could be founded: a kind of mathematics which was to serve natural philosophy by enabling men to grasp the intrinsic subtlety of nature. Rather than mathematizing nature, it was mathematics that needed to be ‘naturalized’.


1966 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Temin

The use of steam power in manufacturing has long been recognized as an important part of the English industrial revolution, but in studies of the United States the role of the steam engine in manufacturing has been overshadowed by its application in railroads. This paper attempts partially to redress the balance by examining the use of stationary steam engines in America about 1840. Section I explores the characteristics of the supply of stationary engines in America, contrasting the engines used in America with those used in Britain. Section II discusses the demand for steam engines, that is, the factors underlying the choice between steam and waterpower in different industries.


Author(s):  
Robert C. Allen

This chapter presents the text of a lecture on the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain given at the British Academy's 2009 Keynes Lecture in Economics. This text suggests that the Industrial Revolution was Britain's response to the global economy that emerged after 1500 and that Britain's success in world trade resulted in one of the most urbanised economies in Europe with unusually high wages and cheap energy prices. The text here also highlights the contribution of Britain in the invention of the steam engine and the cotton spinning machines and in scientific discoveries relating to atmospheric pressure.


Author(s):  
L.D. Schmidt ◽  
K. R. Krause ◽  
J. M. Schwartz ◽  
X. Chu

The evolution of microstructures of 10- to 100-Å diameter particles of Rh and Pt on SiO2 and Al2O3 following treatment in reducing, oxidizing, and reacting conditions have been characterized by TEM. We are able to transfer particles repeatedly between microscope and a reactor furnace so that the structural evolution of single particles can be examined following treatments in gases at atmospheric pressure. We are especially interested in the role of Ce additives on noble metals such as Pt and Rh. These systems are crucial in the automotive catalytic converter, and rare earths can significantly modify catalytic properties in many reactions. In particular, we are concerned with the oxidation state of Ce and its role in formation of mixed oxides with metals or with the support. For this we employ EELS in TEM, a technique uniquely suited to detect chemical shifts with ∼30Å resolution.


2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (22) ◽  
pp. 876-879
Author(s):  
András Schubert

The role of networks is swiftly increasing in the production and communication of scientific knowledge. Network aspects have, therefore, an ever growing importance in the analysis of the scientific enterprise, as well. The present paper demonstrates some techniques of studying the network of scientific journals on the subject of seeking the position of Orvosi Hetilap (Hungarian Medical Journal) in the international journal network. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(22), 876–879.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bambang Widagdo ◽  
Mochamad Rofik

The economic diversification concept gives hope for a country with rich natural resources to strengthen its economic basis. Thus industrial revolution era of 4.0 provides great opportunity to fasten the process. A study by McKensey in 2011 proved that the internet in the developing country contributes around 3.4% towards its GDP which means that the internet has become a new hope for the economy in the future. Indonesia is one of the countries that is attempting to maximize the role of the Internet of Things (IoT) for its economic growth.� The attempt has made the retail and tourism industries as the two main sectors to experience the significant effect of IoT. In the process of optimizing the IoT to support the economic growth, Indonesia faces several issues especially in the term of the internet network quality and its distribution, the inclusive access of financial access and the infrastructure


Author(s):  
Sérgio Gomes ◽  
Vítor Braga ◽  
Alexandra Braga

Innovation is seen as a competitive advantage that many companies use to ensure the continuity and success of your business.NP 4457:2007 is the Portuguese norm that supports management, based on a model of innovation backed up by interfaces and interaction between technical/scientific knowledge, its specific mechanisms and the overall society.Our paper aims to analyse innovation activities and the involvement of human resources in Portuguese firms certified by NP4457 and associated to the implementation of Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) management systems. We have collected the data through IPAC’s database, using a survey administered to all firms.Our results suggest the existence of a Human Resources (HR) involvement policy, customers and suppliers. The involvement of stakeholders with innovation activities results of its acceptance as a mechanism able to generate wealth, with benefits for both firms and the community.


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