Dionysius Lardner

Dionysius Lardner ( born April 3, 1793 in Dublin, † April 29, 1859 in Naples) was an Irish physicist, mathematician and encyclopedist.

Life

Dionysius Lardner studied at Cambridge natural science and mathematics, and in 1817 teacher of mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. He achieved fame through the works Treatise on algebraical geometry (London 1823) and On the differential and integral calculus (London 1825, 2nd edition 1828) and especially by his Cabinet Cyclopaedia in 133 volumes (2nd edition 1854 et seq, 135 vols ). Lardner himself wrote for this article on mechanics, hydrostatics, geometry, arithmetic, and (with CV Walker) Manual of electricity, magnetism and meteorology ( 2 vols ). From 1828 to 1831 he was Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at University College London.

In 1815 Lardner Cecilia Flood had married, with whom he had three children. After five years of marriage, they separated in 1820, after which Lardner a relationship with Mary Boursiquot began that brought the later writer and playwright Dion Boucicault to the world around 1820. Lardner then went to Paris, and later in the United States, but returned to Europe and died on April 29, 1859 in Naples.

Throughout his life, Lardner was in conflict with the British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This was employed as chief engineer of the Great Western Railway and is responsible among other things for the construction of the necessary infrastructure. Especially the bore of the Box Tunnel on the Great Western Main Line between Bath and Chippenham criticized Lardner. The tunnel should have a slope of 10 ‰; Lardner feared, upon failure of the train brakes at the higher end of the tunnel, the train would uncontrollably rolling down the hill and to a speed of 120 mph ( about 193 km / h) speed. The passengers were then no longer be able to breathe and would suffocate.

" Traveling by train at high speeds is not possible because passengers would not be able to breathe and choked. "

Brunel refuted this claim by showing that Lardner had included no friction or air resistance in its calculations.

In other areas disagreed Lardner research results which Brunel. He refused, for example, the project of the Atlantic crossing with the paddle steamer SS Great Western, let construct the Brunel in 1837. Lardner had two years earlier (about 4000 km ) established the theoretical maximum limit for steamboat travel 2500 miles, because he thought it impossible to store enough coal for longer trips on board. Brunel was of a different opinion; actually reaching the Great Western 1838, the crossing of the Atlantic in record time, for which she received the Blue Riband.

Writings

• The steam engine: a popular textbook of the history of its invention and description of their gradual perfection down to the current position; &c; with constant application to technical tradesmen engines, steam navigation, railways and road trips for technicians and friends of mechanics. Heilbronn am Neckar: Claß, 1832 ( numerous editions in German language ).
• Textbook of mechanics together with an appendix on the pendulum and balance. Stuttgart, 1836.

Reprints

• Christian Schmidt: The steam engines. Reprint of the translation of the works of Dionysius Lardner. . Carey and Hart, Philadelphia, 1836 Salt Water, 2009 ( Original title: The Steam Engines familiarly Explained and Illustrated, with additions and notes by James Renwick ).