David Brewster
Sir David Brewster (* December 11 1781 in Jedburgh, Scotland, † February 10, 1868 in Allerly at Melrose ) was a Scottish physicist and inventor of the kaleidoscope and the stereoscope dioptric.
Life and work
Brewster's father, James Brewster was Rector of the Grammar School of Jedburgh. Brewster took an early interest in science and designed with 10 years of a telescope. He first studied theology in Edinburgh ( where he also earned a degree and a license had as pastor of the Church of Scotland, which he never used ) and then science and law. Afterwards, he was a lawyer and later a professor of physics at the University of St. Andrews. In 1859 he was principal of the University of Edinburgh.
His first concerned the polarization of light ( Brewster angle, 1814 in the study of polarized light in crystals with two optical axes) and the double refraction. Results appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, whose member he was in 1808. Later he also received the office of vice president of this society.
In 1816 he succeeded the invention of the kaleidoscope. He was christened on July 10, 1817 for this new development an English patent and wrote a book in 1819. This scientific instrument quickly became a popular toy and so became widespread.
Another invention of his, the stereoscope, also became a popular toy in the 1850s. It arose from his connection to experiments of the early photography.
He is also known for his great biography of Isaac Newton. In it, he sat down critically examine the methodology of Francis Bacon:
Such reservations were deployed comprehensive later by Paul Feyerabend.
Brewster wrote numerous popular science articles and books. He was with many prominent Scottish figures known as Walter Scott and many painters such as Alexander Nasmyth and William Turner.
1808 Brewster took over the editorship of the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, which was launched by the year 1830 in 30 volumes. Together with Robert Jameson founded Brewster 1819 Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, which he edited from 1824 to 1832 alone. He also wrote many articles for the 7th and 8th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. David Brewster died on 10 February 1868 in Allerly at Melrose from pneumonia.
Brewster is regarded as the first to describe the mineral gmelinite (now gmelinite -Na).
Honors
In 1815 he was elected as a member ( "Fellow" ) to the Royal Society, the Copley Medal, the Rumford Medal in 1818 and 1830, the Royal Medal awarded him the same year. In 1831 he was knighted knighted.
The lunar crater Brewster and minerals brewsterite -Ba -Sr and brewsterite were named after him.
Works
- Treatise on the caleidoscope. Edinburgh ( 1819)
- William Elford Leach together with: Entomology, William Blackwood [ and others ], 1830
- Letters on natural magic. London ( 1831)
- Treatise on Optics. London ( 1832)
- Life of Sir Isaac Newton. Edinburgh (1832 ) ( German Leipzig 1833)
- Memoirs of the life, writings, and discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton. 2 vols London ( 1855)
- Martyrs of Science. Edinburgh (1841 ) ( representation of the fate of Galileo Galilei, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler )
- Double reflection and polarization of light, London 1860
- Description of a dual camera, Ostwald's classic Bd.168, Leipzig 1908