Jacques Babinet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacques Babinet
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| Born | 5 March 1794 Lusignan, France
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| Died | 21 October 1872 (aged 78) |
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Jacques Babinet (born March 5, 1794 – died October 21, 1872) was a French scientist. He was a physicist, a mathematician, and an astronomer. He is most famous for his important work with optics, which is the study of light.
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Biography
Jacques Babinet was born in Lusignan, France. His father was Jean Babinet and his mother was Marie-Anne Félicité Bonneau du Chesn. He first studied at the Lycée Napoléon. He was going to study law, but he decided to switch to science instead.
Babinet graduated from the École Polytechnique. After that, he went to the Military School in Metz in 1812. Later in his life, he became a professor. He taught at the Sorbonne and the Collège de France. In 1840, he was chosen to be a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He also worked as an astronomer for the Bureau des Longitudes.
Measuring Light and Waves
One of Babinet's big achievements was in 1827. He helped to set a standard for measuring light. He used the red light from Cadmium to define the Ångström unit. This unit is used to measure very tiny things, like the wavelength of light.
He also came up with Babinet's principle. This principle explains that two opposite screens create similar patterns when light shines through them. Imagine a screen with a tiny hole and another screen with a tiny obstacle the same size. The shadows they make are very similar.
Babinet was the first person to suggest using the wavelength of light to make measurements standard. His idea was used much later, from 1960 to 1983. During that time, a meter was defined by the wavelength of light from krypton gas.
Designing Scientific Tools
Throughout his career, Babinet was very interested in how light behaves in minerals. He designed and built many scientific tools. These tools helped scientists figure out the structure of crystals. They also helped understand how light becomes polarized.
Some of his inventions include the polariscope. This tool helps study polarized light. He also made an optical goniometer. This tool measures how much light bends when it passes through different materials.
The Babinet compensator is another important tool he helped create. It is still used today in special microscopes. It helps scientists study polarized light in tiny samples. This tool was designed to be more reliable than older versions.
Other Scientific Interests
Babinet also studied how light bends in the atmosphere. He used his knowledge of diffraction to study meteorology, which is the study of weather. He spent a lot of time looking at how rainbows form.
His work in astronomy included studying the mass of the planet Mercury. He also researched the Earth's magnetism. He invented better valves for air pumps and a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a tool that measures how much moisture is in the air.
In geography, the Baer–Babinet law helps explain why rivers tend to curve in certain directions. Babinet also worked on cartography, which is map-making. He created special map projections where lines of latitude are straight and lines of longitude are curved.
Besides his scientific research, Babinet was also great at sharing science with others. He gave interesting lectures on meteorology and optics. He was known for being a clever and entertaining speaker. He also wrote many popular science articles. Many people liked him because he was kind and generous.
Family life
Jacques Babinet married Adelaïde Laugier on October 30, 1820. They had two children together. Their son Charles Babinet was born on December 8, 1821. Their son Léon Babinet was born on July 26, 1825.
Images for kids
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Calculs pratiques appliqués aux sciences d'observation, a book by Jacques Babinet from 1857.
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See also
In Spanish: Jacques Babinet para niños
