Francis Hauksbee
Francis Hauksbee the Elder (also Hawksbee ) ( baptized May 27, 1660 , probably in Colchester ; buried April 29, 1713 in London ) was a British scientist who had also been a member of the Royal Society since 1705 . He is known for his work in the field of electricity , especially electrostatics .
Biographically, little is known to the elderly about Francis Hauksbee.
Hauksbee's father Richard Hauksbee was a cloth merchant and lived in Colchester. Francis Hauksbee also apprenticed, probably with his brother, between around 1678 and 1687, and later opened his own business, possibly a tailor's shop. He later became an assistant to the physicist and chemist Robert Boyle .
From 1703 he devoted himself mainly to science and (like before Robert Hooke ) demonstration experiments in front of the Royal Society, from which he is regularly paid (1704 he becomes curator of the Royal Society). But he also demonstrates his experiments in his shop. He is used by Isaac Newton for experiments, e.g. B. to elucidate the distance dependency of the force of a magnet or for the investigation of capillarity . He probably also supported him financially in the development of scientific instruments (air pumps, barometers, surgical instruments).
From 1706 he specifically researched the electric spark. His experiments with a modified electrifying machine , in whose spherical container he placed mercury and extracted air, are known. When the ball was now loaded and Hauksbee touched the surface with his hand, a very bright light was created, with which one could even read. This phenomenon is similar to the Elmsfeuer and later became the basis for the development of glow lamps and mercury vapor lamps .
In 1709 he published his work Physico-Mechanical Experiments on Various Subjects touching light and electricity to summarize his scientific work. He sells copies of his book in his shop. He had previously published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ( Extraordinary electricity of glass producible by a smart attrition , 1706, 1707, Some experiments showing electricity and light producible on the attrition of several bodies , 1708).
He should not be confused with Francis Hauksbee the Younger (born January 11, 1687 in Colchester, died 1763 in London), who also made experiments in a similar field and demonstrated from 1714 and was secretary of the Royal Society from 1723. He had a scientific instrument workshop on Fleet Street and published treatises and books on physics. Possibly he was the son or nephew of Francis Hauksbee the Elder.
Web links
- Website for Hauksbee
- Entry in the Dictionary of Scientific Discovery
- Website to its electrostatic experiments with light effects (English)
- Stephen Pumfrey: Hauksbee, Francis. In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
Remarks
- ↑ First seen by French astronomer Jean Picard in 1676 when he was moving a mercury barometer in the dark
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hauksbee, Francis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hauksbee, Francis the Elder (full name); Hawksbee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British scientist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | baptized May 27, 1660 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | unsure: Colchester |
| DATE OF DEATH | buried April 29, 1713 |
| Place of death | London |