Hooke was a Fellow of the Royal Society and from 1662, he was its first Curator of Experiments. From 1665 to 1703, he was also Professor of Geometry at Gresham College. Hooke began his scientific career as an assistant to the physical scientist Robert Boyle. Hooke built the vacuum pumps that were used in Boyle's experiments on gas law and also conducted experiments. In 1664, Hooke identified the rotations of Mars and Jupiter. Hooke's 1665 book Micrographia, in which he coined the term cell, encouraged microscopic investigations. Investigating optics – specifically light refraction – Hooke inferred a wave theory of light. His is the first-recorded hypothesis of the cause of the expansion of matter by heat, of air's composition by small particles in constant motion that thus generate its pressure, and of heat as energy.
Vida y carrera
In physics, Hooke inferred that gravity obeys an inverse square law and arguably was the first to hypothesise such a relation in planetary motion, a principle Isaac Newton furthered and formalised in Newton's law of universal gravitation. Priority over this insight contributed to the rivalry between Hooke and Newton. In geology and palaeontology, Hooke identified the organic origin and significance of fossils embedded in sedimentary rocks, thus questioning the Biblical view of the Earth's creation. His explanations for the origin of such fossils, some of which he identified as being of extinct species, presaged 19th-century arguments for biological evolution. He also argued that hills and mountains had become elevated by geological processes (rather than having been created exactly as they are today).
Datos clave
- Born: July 28, 1635 in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England
- Fallecimiento: 1703
- Campo: Science
Legado e impacto
The influence of Robert Hooke extends far beyond his own lifetime. He fundamentally shaped our understanding of the natural world, and his discoveries and theories remain foundational to this day.
Though he passed away in 1703, his ideas continue to be studied, debated, and built upon by scholars and practitioners worldwide.
Robert Hooke sigue siendo una de las mentes más celebradas surgidas de England, prueba del rico legado intelectual de la región.
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