John Smeaton

John Smeaton (8 June 1724 - 28 October 1792) was a civil engineer - indeed, he is often regarded as the 'Father of civil engineering’ – responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbour and lighthouse. He was also a more than capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. He was associated with the Lunar Society.

Law and physics

He was born at Austhorpe near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. After studying at Leeds Grammar School, he joined his father's law firm, but then left to become a mathematical instrument maker (working with Henry Hindley), developing, among other instruments, a pyrometer to study material expansion and a whirling speculum or horizontal top (a maritime navigation aid).

Related Topics:
Austhorpe - Leeds - West Yorkshire - England - Leeds Grammar School - Henry Hindley - Pyrometer - Navigation

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He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1753, and in 1759 won the Copley Medal for his research into the mechanics of waterwheels and windmills. His paper addressed the relationship between pressure and velocity for objects moving in air, and his concepts were subsequently developed to devise the 'Smeaton Co-efficient'.

Related Topics:
Royal Society - 1753 - 1759 - Copley Medal - Waterwheel - Windmill

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However, over the period 1759-1782, he performed a series of further experiments and measurements on waterwheels that led him to support and champion the vis viva theory of German Gottfried Leibniz, an early formulation of conservation of energy. This led him into conflict with members of the academic establishment who rejected Leibniz's theory, believing it inconsistent with Sir Isaac Newton's conservation of momentum. The debate was sadly marred by unfortunate nationalistic sentiments on the establishment's part.

Related Topics:
1782 - Vis viva - German - Gottfried Leibniz - Conservation of energy - Isaac Newton - Conservation of momentum

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