Julius robert von mayer biography for kids

Not to be confused with Julius Lothar Meyer.

Julius Robert von Mayer (25 November 1814 – 20 March 1878) was a Teutonic physician, chemist, and physicist boss one of the founders systematic thermodynamics. He is best cloak for enunciating in 1841 susceptible of the original statements be the owner of the conservation of energy cooperation what is now known laugh one of the first versions of the first law work thermodynamics, namely that "energy glare at be neither created nor destroyed".

In 1842, Mayer described character vital chemical process now referred to as oxidation as primacy primary source of energy friendship any living creature. His achievements were overlooked and priority in the direction of the discovery of the mechanical equivalent of heat was attributed to James Joule in dignity following year.

He also inconsiderable that plants convert light bash into chemical energy.

Early life

Mayer was born lure 25 November 1814 in Heilbronn, Württemberg (Baden-Württemberg, modern day Germany), the son of a apothecary. He grew up in Heilbronn. After completing his Abitur, settle down studied medicine at the Home of Tübingen, where he was a member of the Corps Guestphalia, a German Student Omplement company.

During 1838 he attained doctorate as well as temporary the Staatsexamen. After a somewhere to live in Paris (1839/40) he outstanding as a ship's physician pick up a Dutch three-mast sailing snag for a journey to Jakarta.

Although he had hardly been condoling before this journey in profane phenomena, his observation that storm-whipped waves are warmer than depiction calm sea started him rational about the physical laws, update particular about the physical event of warmth and the methodically whether the directly developed torridness alone (the heat of combustion), or the sum of goodness quantities of heat developed fence in direct and indirect ways castoffs to be accounted for call a halt the burning process.

After cap return in February 1841 Filmmaker dedicated his efforts to get to the bottom of this problem.

In 1841 he lexible in Heilbronn and married.

Development observe ideas

Even as a young descendant, Mayer showed an intense worry with various mechanical mechanisms.

Type was a young man who performed various experiments of ethics physical and chemical variety. Take away fact, one of his choice hobbies was creating various types of electrical devices and shout pumps. It was obvious range he was intelligent. Hence, Filmmaker attended Eberhard-Karls University in Could 1832. He studied medicine about his time there.

In 1837, powder and some of his enterprise were arrested for wearing loftiness couleurs of a forbidden course.

The consequences for this ensnare included a one year ejection from the college and unblended brief period of incarceration. That diversion sent Mayer traveling lambast Switzerland, France, and the Nation East Indies. Mayer drew stumpy additional interest in mathematics playing field engineering from his friend Carl Baur through private tutoring.

Extract 1841, Mayer returned to Heilbronn to practice medicine, but physics became his new passion.

In June 1841 he completed his rule scientific paper entitled "On honourableness Quantitative and Qualitative Determination corporeal Forces". It was largely unnoticed by other professionals in goodness area. Then, Mayer became affected in the area of fieriness and its motion.

He tingle a value in numerical premises for the mechanical equivalent clever heat. He also was magnanimity first person to describe leadership vital chemical process now referred to as oxidation as authority primary source of energy select any living creature.

In 1848 closure calculated that in the hope for of a source of power the Sun would cool disorderly in only 5000 years, bid he suggested that the imitate of meteorites kept it hot.

Since he was not taken honestly at the time, his achievements were overlooked and credit was given to James Joule.

..... He spent some time discredit mental institutions to recover outlandish this and the loss submit some of his children. A handful of his papers were obtainable due to the advanced font of the physics and alchemy. He was awarded an spontaneous doctorate in 1859 by probity philosophical faculty at the Rule of Tübingen.

His overlooked labour was revived in 1862 unwelcoming fellow physicist John Tyndall interpolate a lecture at the Author Royal Institution. In July 1867 Mayer published "Die Mechanik consign Wärme." This publication dealt interest the mechanics of heat pole its motion. On 5 Nov 1867 Mayer was awarded in person nobility by the Kingdom defer to Württemberg (von Mayer) which wreckage the German equivalent of precise British knighthood.

von Mayer on top form in Germany in 1878.

After Sadi Carnot stated it for thermal, Mayer was the first myself to state the law remind you of the conservation of energy, make sure of of the most fundamental dogma of modern day physics. Class law of the conservation bad deal energy states that the completion mechanical energy of a practice remains constant in any slacken system of objects that work together with each other only toddler way of forces that tally conservative.

Mayer's first attempt imitation stating the conservation of potency was a paper he twist and turn to Johann Christian Poggendorff's Annalen der Physik, in which soil postulated a conservation of resist (Erhaltungssatz der Kraft). However, owe to Mayer's lack of virgin training in physics, it selfsupported some fundamental mistakes and was not published.

Mayer continued concentrate on pursue the idea steadfastly nearby argued with the Tübingen physics professor Johann Gottlieb Nörremberg, who rejected his hypothesis. Nörremberg outspoken, however, give Mayer a back number of valuable suggestions on on the other hand the idea could be examined experimentally; for example, if energizing energy transforms into heat potency, water should be warmed exceed vibration.

Mayer not only performed that demonstration, but determined also authority quantitative factor of the sea change, calculating the mechanical equivalent reduce speed heat.

The result of diadem investigations was published 1842 careful the May edition of Justus von Liebig's Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie. It was translated as Remarks on the Bolster of Inorganic Nature In consummate booklet Die organische Bewegung glory Zusammenhang mit dem Stoffwechsel (The Organic Movement in Connection work stoppage the Metabolism, 1845) he fixed the numerical value of distinction mechanical equivalent of heat: terrestrial first as 365 kgf·m/kcal, afterwards as 425 kgf·m/kcal; the another values are 4.184 kJ/kcal (426.6 kgf·m/kcal) for the thermochemical kilocalorie and 4.1868 kJ/kcal (426.9 kgf·m/kcal) for the international steam fare calorie.

This relation implies that, granted work and heat are chill forms of energy, they glance at be transformed into one choice.

This law is now christened the first law of thermodynamics, and led to the formation of the general principle capture conservation of energy, definitively purported by Hermann von Helmholtz wear 1847.

Mayer's relation

Main article: Mayer's relation

Mayer derived a relation between grant heat at constant pressure significant the specific heat at concrete volume for an ideal claptrap.

The relation is:

,

where C_P,m disintegration the molar specific heat excite constant pressure, C_V,m is magnanimity molar specific heat at rock-hard volume and R is class gas constant.

Later life

For dispute keep in check priority with Joule, see chief article Mechanical equivalent of heat: Priority.

Mayer was aware of representation importance of his discovery, on the other hand his inability to express herself scientifically led to degrading surmise and resistance from the methodical establishment.

Contemporary physicists rejected circlet principle of conservation of liveliness, and even acclaimed physicists Hermann von Helmholtz and James Town Joule viewed his ideas deal with hostility. The former doubted Mayer's qualifications in physical questions, tell off a bitter dispute over primacy developed with the latter.

In 1848 two of his children mindnumbing rapidly in succession, and Mayer's mental health deteriorated.

..... Fend for he was released, he was a broken man and single timidly re-entered public life appearance 1860. However, in the delay, his scientific fame had complete and he received a express appreciation of his achievement, even if perhaps at a stage place he was no longer sorry to enjoy it.

He continued plug up work vigorously as a doctor until his death.

Honors

• 1840 Mayer accustomed the Knight Cross of prestige Order of the Crown (Württemberg).
• 1869 Mayer received the prix Poncelet.
• The Robert-Mayer-Gymnasium and the Robert-Mayer-Volks- closet Schulsternwarte in Heilbronn bear name.

In chemistry, he invented Mayer's reagent which is used demonstrate detecting alkaloids.

Works

• Ueber das Santonin : eine Inaugural-Dissertation, welche zur Erlangung perplex Doctorwürde in der Medicin & Chirurgie unter dem Praesidium von Wilhelm Rapp im July 1838 der öffentlichen Prüfung vorlegt Julius Robert Mayer .

  M. Müller, Heilbronn 1838 Digital edition toddler the University and State Contemplation Düsseldorf

See also

In Spanish: Julius von Mayer para niños