Electrical Researches of Henry Cavendish

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Electrical Researches of Henry Cavendish
Authors and Contributors      Edited by James Clerk Maxwell
By (author) Henry Cavendish
SeriesCambridge Library Collection - Physical Sciences
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:532
Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 152
Category/GenreElectricity, electromagnetism and magnetism
ISBN/Barcode 9781108009423
ClassificationsDewey:537
Audience
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Illustrations 12 Line drawings, black and white

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 20 May 2010
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Henry Cavendish (1731-1810), the grandson of the second duke of Devonshire, wrote papers on electrical topics for the Royal Society, but the majority of his electrical experiments did not become known until they were collected and published by James Clerk Maxwell a century later, in 1879, long after other scientists had been credited with the same results. Among Cavendish's discoveries were the concept of electric potential, which he called the 'degree of electrification'; an early unit of capacitance, that of a sphere one inch in diameter; the formula for the capacitance of a plate capacitor; the concept of the dielectric constant of a material; the relationship between electric potential and current, now called Ohm's Law; laws for the division of current in parallel circuits, now attributed to Charles Wheatstone; and the inverse square law of variation of electric force with distance, now called Coulomb's Law.