George Singer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Singer
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|---|---|
| Born | 1786 |
| Died | 28 June 1817 |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Publications and lectures |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrics |
George John Singer (1786–1817) was an English scientist who was one of the first to study electricity. He was known for his writings and for giving talks about science to people, both in private and at the Russell Institution.
Contents
A Life of Discovery
George Singer was the son of Thomas Singer. He was also the younger brother of Samuel Weller Singer. When he was young, George helped his mother with her business. She made artificial flowers.
Early Scientific Work
Even while working, George spent all his free time studying science. He was especially interested in electricity and electromagnetism. At that time, not much was known about these topics.
George was friends with Andrew Crosse, another early scientist who studied electricity. They worked together on their experiments.
Building a Lab and Giving Lectures
George Singer built a large room behind his mother's house in Prince's Street, Cavendish Square. He did most of the building himself. In this room, he gave science talks about electricity and other related subjects.
Some famous people came to listen to his lectures. These included Michael Faraday and Sir Francis Ronalds. They were both important scientists.
Important Writings
In 1814, Singer published a book called Elements of Electricity and Electro-chemistry. This book was very important at the time. It was even translated into French, Italian, and German.
He also wrote several articles for the Philosophical Magazine between 1813 and 1815. These articles shared his new discoveries and ideas.
Inventions and Improvements
George Singer made almost all of his own scientific equipment. He also found ways to make them better. He invented an improved electrometer that used gold leaves. This device was used for many years to measure electricity.
One important improvement he made was a new way to keep the wire connected to the gold leaves separate from the rest of the device. This is called insulating the wire. He announced this idea in 1811 and wrote about it in his book.
Later Life
George Singer never married. He died on June 28, 1817, at his mother's house. He passed away due to an illness caused by working too hard.
He used to live in a place called the Old House. Today, this building is known as Coundon Court Academy.
