John Gough (natural philosopher) facts for kids

John Gough was an amazing English scientist and thinker. He lived from 1757 to 1825. He was blind, but that didn't stop him from making important discoveries. He was also a teacher who inspired famous scientists like John Dalton and William Whewell.

A Life of Learning and Discovery

John Gough was born in Kendal, England, on January 17, 1757. He was the oldest of seven children. His family belonged to the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers.

When John was almost three years old, he became sick with smallpox. This illness caused him to lose his eyesight. Even though he couldn't see, he worked hard to develop his other senses. He became very good at recognizing things by touch and sound. He especially loved to identify animals just by feeling them.

Early Education and Mentors

In 1778, when John was 21, he went to study with John Slee. Slee was a math teacher in Mungrisdale, England. John Gough stayed there for 18 months. He learned about math, including the basic ideas of calculus.

After returning home, his sister Dorothy helped him continue his studies. She would read to him and help him with his math problems.

Teaching John Dalton

Around 1782, John Gough met John Dalton. Dalton was another Quaker from the same area. He came to Kendal to work at a school. Dalton helped Gough by reading, writing, and drawing diagrams for him. In return, Gough taught Dalton Latin and Greek. John Dalton later became one of the most famous scientists of the 1800s. He called Gough a "prodigy in scientific attainments," meaning someone with amazing scientific skills.

Family Life

In 1800, John Gough married Mary Harrison. They moved to a place called Middleshaw. John and Mary had nine children together. One of their sons, Thomas Gough, later became a surgeon in Kendal.

In 1812, Gough had a house built for his family. He named it Fowl Ing. It was on a hill near Kendal. Around this time, he also started teaching math to students privately. He helped prepare them for university.

Inspiring Future Scientists

Many of John Gough's students became very successful. They achieved high honors in math at university. One of his first students was William Whewell. Whewell studied with Gough in 1812. He later described Gough as "a very extraordinary person."

John Gough had several epilepsy attacks starting in 1823. He passed away on July 28, 1825. He was buried in the churchyard in Kendal.

Scientific Work and Discoveries

John Gough was interested in many different areas of science. He wrote papers about nature, machines, math, chemistry, and experiments in physics.

Understanding Rubber

One of his most interesting studies was about natural rubber. He was the first to describe something cool about rubber bands. If you quickly stretch a rubber band, it gets warm. You can feel this warmth if you press the band to your lips. Also, when stretched rubber is heated, it actually shrinks! This is the opposite of what most materials do when they get hot.

Gough shared these findings in 1804. His work later influenced James Joule, another famous scientist. Joule studied rubber and how energy changes. This effect is now known as the Gough–Joule effect.

How We Hear Sounds

Gough also did important research on how people figure out where sounds come from. He wrote a paper about it in 1802. This was part of a discussion with another scientist, Thomas Young, about how different sounds combine.

Studying Plants

John Gough also did experiments with plants. He was so skilled that he could identify plants just by using his upper lip to feel them! He also described how lakes slowly turn into land over time, and how seeds can stay hidden in the soil for years.

Images for kids

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  Gough's paper on rubber