John Leslie (physicist)

John Leslie

Sir John Leslie (born April 10, 1766 in Largo , Fife , † November 3, 1832 on his country estate near Largo) was a Scottish mathematician and physicist , best known for his studies of heat transfer and heat flow .

Life

Leslie initially worked as a tutor. In 1805, Leslie became a mathematics professor at the University of Edinburgh . In 1819 he switched to the natural philosophy faculty.

plant

In 1804 he experimented with the transfer of heat from objects. For this purpose he designed a cube-shaped vessel that was filled with boiling water. One side of the cube was made of polished metal, two of unpolished metal, and one side was painted black. He was able to prove that the black surface conducts the heat flow best. This device is also known under the name " Leslie's Cube ".

In 1810 he was the first to succeed in artificially producing ice . He had developed an absorption refrigeration system with the pair of substances water and sulfuric acid.

In 1820 he was the first to describe the relationship between wind, heat and density, which are responsible for the stratification in lakes, and in recognition of his achievements he was awarded a Knight Bachelor and Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order (KH) in 1832 . On October 30, 1820 he became a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences in Paris.

Among his students was John James Waterston .

Fonts

• An Experimental Inquiry into the Nature and Propagation of Heat . 1804
• Elements of geometry, geometrical analysis and plane trigonometry . 1809
• A short account of experiments and instruments depending on the relation of air to heat and moisture . 1813ff.
• The Philosophy of Arithmetic . 1820
• Elements of natural philosophy . 1823

Web links

• John J. O'Connor, Edmund F. Robertson :  John Leslie. In: MacTutor History of Mathematics archive .

Individual evidence

1. ^ List of members since 1666: Letter L. Académie des sciences, accessed on January 12, 2020 (French).