William Ritchie (physicist) facts for kids

William Ritchie (born around 1790 – died 1837) was a clever Scottish scientist who studied physics. He was known for being great at setting up and doing experiments.

William Ritchie was born in Scotland around 1790. He first studied to become a minister for the Church of Scotland. However, he decided to become a teacher instead. He became the head teacher, or rector, at the Royal Academy of Tain in Ross-shire.

After saving some money, Ritchie hired someone to take over his teaching duties. He then traveled to Paris, France. There, he attended lectures by famous scientists like Louis Jacques Thénard, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, and Jean-Baptiste Biot. He quickly became skilled at creating and performing experiments in what was then called natural philosophy. This was an old name for what we now call science, especially physics.

Becoming a Professor

Because of his published scientific work, William Ritchie was offered a job as a professor. In 1829, he started teaching natural philosophy at the Royal Institution in London. He gave a series of trial lectures there.

Then, in 1832, he became a professor of natural philosophy at London University. This showed how much his work was valued in the scientific community.

Experiments with Glass

William Ritchie also worked on making special glass for optical tools like telescopes. The government even set up a group to look into his findings.

A famous telescope maker named John Dollond built a telescope using Ritchie's glass. This telescope had an eight-inch aperture, which is the opening that gathers light. Even though it was built, the telescope didn't work as well as hoped. It's important to know that this telescope is not connected to the much later Ritchey–Chrétien telescope.

Ritchie's Scientific Discoveries

Ritchie became friends with another important scientist, Sir John Herschel. Through Herschel, Ritchie shared many of his discoveries with the Royal Society. The Royal Society is a very old and respected group of scientists.

Ritchie wrote papers on several topics, including:

• On a New Photometer: This was about a new tool to measure the brightness of light.
• On a New Form of the Differential Thermometer: This described a new type of thermometer that could measure very small differences in temperature.
• On the Permeability of Transparent Screens of Extreme Tenuity by Radiant Heat: This paper explored how very thin, clear materials allowed heat to pass through them.

He also wrote two small books. One was about geometry (published in 1833), and the other was about calculus (published in 1836). Both of these are important areas of mathematics.

William Ritchie was elected a member of the Royal Society. He also did important experimental research on:

• The elasticity (how much they can stretch and return to shape) of glass threads. He used this idea for torsion balances, which are tools that measure very small forces.
• The electric and chemical ideas behind galvanism, which is about how electricity is made by chemical reactions.
• Electromagnetism, which is the study of how electricity and magnetism are connected.
• Voltaic electricity, which is electricity produced by batteries.

Many of his other scientific papers were published in a journal called the Philosophical Magazine.

His Final Years

William Ritchie sadly passed away on September 15, 1837. He caught a fever while in Scotland.

See also

• Electrical telegraph
• Needle telegraph
• Rotor (electric)