The breadth of Whewell's endeavours is his most remarkable feature. In a time of increasing specialisation, Whewell belonged in an earlier era when natural philosophers investigated widely. He published work in mechanics, physics, geology, astronomy, and economics, while also composing poetry, writing a Bridgewater Treatise, translating the works of Goethe, and writing sermons and theological tracts. In mathematics, Whewell introduced what is now called the Whewell equation, defining the shape of a curve without reference to an arbitrarily chosen coordinate system. He also organized thousands of volunteers internationally to study ocean tides, in what is now considered one of the first citizen science projects. He received the Royal Medal for this work in 1837.
生涯とキャリア
One of Whewell's greatest gifts to science was his wordsmithing. He corresponded with many in his field and helped them come up with neologisms for their discoveries. Whewell coined, among other terms, scientist, physicist, linguistics, consilience, catastrophism, uniformitarianism, and astigmatism; he suggested to Michael Faraday the terms electrode, ion, dielectric, anode, and cathode.
主な事実
- Born: May 24, 1794 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England
- 没年: 1866
- 分野: Science
- 受賞: Smith's Prize (1816) and Royal Medal (1837)
遺産と影響
The influence of William Whewell 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 1866, his ideas continue to be studied, debated, and built upon by scholars and practitioners worldwide.
William WhewellはEnglandが生んだ最も称賛される頭脳の一人であり続け、地域の豊かな知的遺産を物語っている。
Englandの著名な天才
Englandは数多くの傑出した頭脳を輩出してきた。William Whewellと並んで:
Scienceの他の優れた頭脳を発見
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