The Science of Energy: A Cultural History of Energy Physics in Victorian Britain

by Crosbie Smith

Although we take it for granted today, the concept of "energy" transformed nineteenth-century physics. In The Science of Energy, Crosbie Smith shows how a North British group of scientists and engineers, including James Joule, James Clerk Maxwell, William and James Thomson, Fleeming Jenkin, and P. G. Tait, developed energy physics to solve practical problems encountered by Scottish shipbuilders and marine engineers; to counter biblical revivalism and evolutionary materialism; and to rapidly enhance their own scientific credibility.

Replacing the language and concepts of classical mechanics with terms such as "actual" and "potential" energy, the North British group conducted their revolution in physics so astutely and vigorously that the concept of "energy"—a valuable commodity in the early days of industrialization—became their intellectual property. Smith skillfully places this revolution in its scientific and cultural context, exploring the actual creation of scientific knowledge during one of the most significant episodes in the history of physics.

Genres: History Of Science

411 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

About the author

Crosbie Smith is reader in History and Cultural Studies of Science and director of the Centre for History and Cultural Studies of Science at Rutherford College, University of Kent at Canterbury. He is coauthor of Energy and Empire: A Biographical Study of Lord Kelvin and coeditor of Making Space for Science: Territorial Themes in the Shaping of Knowledge.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as background material for an educational roleplaying game I am co-developing for physics classes on electricity and magnetism. This book is a bit broader than that, as it covers the development of the science of energy in general, but it was referenced in other books I read.

A fantastic read, but really dense to follow. You have to able to keep track of a massive cast of characters, while having familiarity with physics to a level which I do not. I am an engineer, and there were some topics that were above my head-- I watched a Veritasium video on least action, which made that make more sense in the book. I feel I would appreciate this book more if I was a physicist.

I loved learning the background of a lot of characters from physics and engineering textbooks-- just to name a few, Joule, Weber, Maxwell, Lord Kelvin aka William Thomson, Hertz, Heaviside, Nernst, Ostwald etc. Some of these were covered in more detail than others e.g. Ostwald of Ostwald ripening fame jumps in at the last chapter, while William Thomson is a fixture of the entire book, dare I say the main character. There are others, of course. Joule and Tait round out the triumvirate. Clausius and Clapeyron lay the foundation for these main characters-- the grandfathers of energy-- while Ostwald and co are all next gen physicists fitting in at the tail end, and it would require a sequel to cover their developments fully.

I really liked the idea that these theories of physics were developed in a specific theological context, specifically a theory of universal decay. The universe progresses towards chaos and decay by default. I remember hitting this idea when I learned about entropy in college, and apparently the connection isn't by chance; Scottish presbytarians developed the ideas! The book feels fitting, given the state of politics at the moment, an important reminder, and in many ways gives me hope. These philosophers weren't in a state of despair-- rather, they were trying to find a middle position between Calvinists and biblical literalists on one side and atheists and scientific materialism on the other.

There is so much rich material here, I am going to need to come back to this book. I want to dig into the primary sources a lot more, so I am going to save the bibliography. Really solid book here.

[Nathan Dyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the science of energy in the 19th century. To fully appreciate it I would recommend having learnt subject material equivalent to an introduction to thermodynamics course at the university level.

I discovered this text in search for a book that would provide context for what I learnt in my thermodynamics university classes. In textbooks the information is always presented as a neat little package of the conclusions made from, in this case, a century worth of research, discussion and debate. The Science of Energy provide an excellent opportunity to see how concepts of energy and thermodynamics developed. What I found most insightful were the debates related to the minutiae of these concepts throughout the century. These are never dealt with in textbooks and lectures, and so it allows you to encounter ideas of this subject in a natural progression as the those of the 19th century did.

[Rodney Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting glimpses of the process from conceptual to applied. Shows the time when more theory became concrete and how the church distanced itself again. That relationship is like a yoyo.

[Joe Dillenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading for class on the History of Physics in the Classical Period 1600-1900.