Francis Hauksbee

Francis Hauksbee the Elder ( also Hawksbee ) (* in 1666, probably in Colchester, † in April / May 1713 London ) was a British scientist who was also a member of the Royal Society since 1705. He is best known for his work in the field of electricity, especially in electrostatics.

Biographical is Francis Hauksbee the elders do not know much.

Hauksbee father Richard Hauksbee was a cloth merchant and lived in Colchester. Francis Hauksbee went, probably with his brother, in the teaching, about 1678-1687, and later opened his own business, maybe a tailor's shop. Later he became the assistant of the physicist and chemist Robert Boyle.

From 1703 he devoted himself mainly to science and leads ( as before Robert Hooke ) demonstration experiments at the Royal Society in which he is paid regularly ( In 1704 he is curator of the Royal Society). He conducts his experiments but also in his business. It is used by Isaac Newton to experiments, eg to elucidate the distance dependence of the force of a magnet, or in studies of capillarity. He supported him financially probably also in the development of scientific instruments ( air pumps, barometers, surgical instruments ).

From 1706 he studied specifically the electric spark. Known are his experiments with a modified electrical machine, in which spherical container he placed Mercury and Air extracted. If the ball was now loaded and Hauksbee with his hand touched the surface, a rather bright light, where you could even read. This phenomenon is similar to St. Elmo's fire and later became the basis for the development of glow lamps and mercury vapor lamps.

In 1709 he published his work Physico -Mechanical Experiments on Various Subjects touching light and electricity to summarize his scientific work. Copies of his book he sells in his shop. Previously, he had published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ( Extraordinary electricity of glass producible by a smart attrition, 1706, 1707, Some experiments showing electricity and light producible on the attrition of several bodies, 1708).

He should not be with Francis Hauksbee the Younger (* January 11, 1687 in Colchester, died 1763 in London ) are mistaken, who also was doing experiments in a similar field and vorführte 1714 and was secretary of the Royal Society from 1723. He had a workshop for scientific instruments in Fleet Street and also published essays and books on physical issues. Maybe he was the son or nephew of Francis Hauksbee the Elder.

Swell

  • Site to Hauksbee
  • Entry in the Dictionary of Scientific Discovery
  • English website dedicated to its electrostatic experiments with light effects

Comments

  • Naturalist
  • Briton
  • Personality of Electrical Engineering
  • Born in the 17th century
  • Died in 1713
  • Man
Electrostatic generator Integrated Authority File
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