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Electromagnetism in the Encyclopaedias

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Falconer_2022_IF_Orsted_39_20.pdf (827.3Kb)
Date
01/10/2022
Author
Falconer, Isobel Jessie
Keywords
Electromagnetism
Ørsted
Oersted
History of physics
Galvanism
John Leslie
John Playfair
D History (General)
QC Physics
History and Philosophy of Science
General Physics and Astronomy
Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
DAS
MCC
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Abstract
“Heat, Electricity and Magnetism… though very different, agree in some general characters” wrote the natural philosopher John Playfair in 1819 in his influential "Dissertation Second" for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His essay provides little evidence to support the claim of John Leslie, writing a sequel dissertation in the 1820s, that, “[Electricity’s] close connexion, if not identity, with magnetism, had been long suspected.” Leslie, of course, was writing with the benefit of hindsight, informed by Hans Christian Ørsted’s discovery of the effect of an electric current on a magnetised needle in 1820. After a brief overview of Ørsted's life, I investigate what encyclopaedia articles such as these can tell us about electricity and magnetism in the years leading up to Ørsted’s publication, and immediately afterwards.
Citation
Falconer , I J 2022 , ' Electromagnetism in the Encyclopaedias ' , Institute of Physics History of Physics Group Newsletter , vol. 39 , pp. 20-36 .
Publication
Institute of Physics History of Physics Group Newsletter
Status
Non peer reviewed
ISSN
1756-168X
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2022 the Author. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the final published version of the work, which was originally published at https://www.iop.org/physics-community/special-interest-groups/history-physics-group.
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URL
https://www.iop.org/physics-community/special-interest-groups/history-physics-group
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/27165

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