Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy

As an engineer myself, I've developed something of a hobby of learning about the people behind the names given to all these equations I use on a daily basis. Kelvin is one of said names, though throughout most of his life he went by the name William Thomson. In "Degrees Kelvin," the author, David Lindley, tells the story of this 19th-century British scientist from his undergrad days at Cambridge through his death at the end of 1907. I think most scientists and engineers would enjoy reading this book and learning about one of the men responsible for the all-important laws of thermodynamics. I think Lindley did a remarkable job of presenting the man; if it were possible I would surely like to meet the Lord Kelvin. He seems like a friendly and amazingly intelligent man that I'm sure I could talk with for hours. In addition to the work on thermo, Thomson was instrumental in getting the transatlantic telegraph cable working, invented the forerunner to inkjet printers, a compass, and several other pieces of science that don't necessarily bear the name Kelvin. But this biography isn't just a story of the science; Lindley tells a captivating story and brings the man to life based on Thomson's correspondence, various diaries, and newspapers. We learn about his family and his friendships with G.G. Stokes, P.G. Tait, and H.L.F. von Helmholtz, among others. Something that came as a surpise to me was the rivalries (read: borderline soap-opera drama) concerning just who was responsible for creating the laws of thermodynamics, the fighting over how to lay the cable, and Kelvin's stubbornness in his later years concerning Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and refusual to believe in the modern developments of science such as radiation. Nevertheless, Thomson was always interested in using his math and science skills to solve practical problems, which is something that strikes close to home for me as an engineer. Thanks to this book, I now have a much deeper respect for, and understanding of, William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin of Largs.

This is an absolutely fascinating romp through nineteenth century physics which has as its vehicle the life of William Thomson - perhaps better known as Lord Kelvin. Thomson's scientific life and times are very well portrayed - he was interested in almost anything that constituted natural philosophy (today known as physics). But in addition to his pursuits in pure science, Thomson was also intensely interested in using science to develop technology for the betterment of humanity. Consequently, some of his contemporaries have criticized him for spending too much time tinkering and not enough time applying his tremendous intellect to more abstract scientific problems. Thomson's fields of activity were many: thermodynamics, electromagnetism, age of the earth and participating in the laying of the transatlantic cable being only a few. The writing style is clear, authoritative, friendly, accessible and quite captivating. The science is very well explained, despite the fact that illustrative diagrams have not been included. After reading the book, I was left rather puzzled by the word "tragedy" in its subtitle. Although the elderly William Thomson was often rather reluctant in embracing new development in physics, mainly near the turn of the twentieth century, he did lead a rich productive life and was lauded and respected by his scientific contemporaries and the public alike. Somehow, the word "tragedy" does not seem appropriate. Although anyone can enjoy this book and learn much from it, because of its scientific content, science buffs are likely to relish it the most.

David Lindley's biography of Lord Kelvin is one of the most enjoyable books that I have ever read. The author provides a fair assessment of the man within his historical and scientific milieu and one is left with a sense of having obtained a deeper understanding of 19th century scientific thinking. The complexities of the foundation of thermodynamics are dealt with capably as is the scientific outlook of Kelvin as an advocate of a purely mechanical universe, in particular against the changing views towards the end of the 19th century. Overall a balanced approach between science and personal detail for a book of this type.

+++++ When I was in high school, the only thing I knew about a "Kelvin" was that it was associated with a temperature scale that was expressed in Kelvin units (symbol: K). That is, the lowest temperature possible known as "absolute zero" is 0 degrees K (minus 273.15 degrees Celsius). And that's it! I never realized that this was a way to honor a scientific genius named Lord Kelvin, originally William Thomson (1824 to 1907). This detailed, well researched, and easy-to-read book, by Dr. David Lindley, traces the life of this now little-known scientific genius and inventor. But "it was not for science alone that Kelvin became famous but because of the way he brought science into ordinary life." And he brought science into ordinary life by developing numerous useful inventions (which made him a wealthy man). And his legacy continues to this day. For example, "the modern inkjet printer...uses essentially [a] trick that Thomson dreamed up in the 1860s!" Or consider that Lord Kelvin's "ideas and principles [are] still taught today at the core of any course on basic physics." In fact, Lord Kelvin was so well known in his day that when he died he was buried alongside Isaac Newton. Quite an honor! Lord Kelvin's life was a fascinating one. In his story, you will encounter other great legends such as Newton, Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Cavendish, Charles Coulomb, Pierre Curie, Charles Darwin, and James Clerk Maxwell. He had a broad range of scientific interests. What really intrigued me and what I found totally unexpected were his thoughts on the extraterrestrial origins of life on Earth. In the center of this book are nine black and white illustrations that I have not seen before. They add another dimension to the book. Finally, the only minor problem I had with this book was with the idea of Kelvin's life being somehow a "tragedy" (as stated in the subtitle). Actually, he had no more tragedies than other people. The fact that he did not eagerly accept the theories of other scientists seems to me that he was cautious which is the mark of a good scientist. The only real tragedy that I can see from reading this book is that history seems to have forgotten him. In conclusion, this is a fascinating story of a scientific genius and inventor. This book is truly "destined to become the definitive biography of one of the most important figures in modern science!!" (first published 2004; acknowledgements; introduction; 6 chapters; epilogue; main narrative of 315 pages; 9 black and white illustrations; bibliography; notes; index) +++++

The author has done a fine job in bringing this man, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) to life. He was one of the primary movers of the scientific world of the Victorian era, and much can be learned of the development of the physical sciences through a study of his methods, personal interactions, and achievements.Thomson was one of the dozen or so illustrious men, almost entirely British, Scottish, German and French, who developed the central ideas of thermodynamics and electromagnetism in the middle of the 19th century. His particular contribution, among many, was to popularize and further develop the ideas of the Frenchman, Carnot, of the famous reversible heat engine. This was to lead ultimately to the discovery of the absolute temperature scale, now named for him, and to entropy. In electromagnetism, he stood between the non-mathematical insights of Faraday, and the highly mathematical formulation of Maxwell and Heaviside, which has changed little in its fundamental approach, and is still taught to sophomores today. In fact, he and a friend wrote the first recognizable classical physics textbook for undergraduates. And he played a big role as a consultant/inventor for the first transatlantic telegraph cable, a story well told here and in Gordon's recent "Thread Across the Ocean." Thomson was something of a prodigy, gathering honors and publications at a very young age, but later in life his productivity fell off into an idosyncratic crankiness. His required approach to problems was to devise mechanical analogs for phenomena, which turned out to be too limited to arrive at a full field theory of electromagnetism and atomism, neither of which he ever accepted fully. He was a true believer in the ether, but was never able to use it to produce a fruitful alternative to Maxwell's E & M or kinetic theory. It was interesting for me to note the obvious parallels between his life-arc and that of Einstein. Einstein was also unable to fully participate in the later scientific developments in quantum mechanics because of a prejudice or block similar to Thomson's requirement for a mechanical model. And then Kelvin spent an inordinate amount of energy in developing an improved ship's compass (a profitable success), while Einstein tried mightily (but unsuccessfully) to improve the refrigerator. Einstein killed Kelvin's ether by ignoring it, but was in turn killed by his insistence that "God doesn't play with dice."Lindley has written a well-researched but entertaining and well written book. The illustrations are a good addition, not seen before by me. A scientist himself, he is well equipped to understand the science of the times, and is unerring and enthusiastic for his subject. Well done!