Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford

A physicist and politician who was born in the United States and was active in Britain and Germany. His real name was Benjamin Thompson. He was born in Massachusetts. He studied natural sciences on his own from childhood, and in his late teens he became interested in heat and conducted research on it. When the War of Independence broke out in 1775, he sided with Britain, but defected to Britain in 1776.

While working for the Colonial Office in England, he carried out experiments and research on the explosive power of gunpowder, maritime signals, and weapons improvements. He was elected a member of the Royal Society, and in 1781 published a report on his experiments on gunpowder in the Society's journal. From 1784, he served as Minister of War and Home Secretary under the Elector of Bavaria, working to reorganize the military and improve various social issues. In 1793, he was created an earl and took the name Earl of Rumford. In 1798, he returned to England and lived in London, where he worked on two major projects. One was the report on his experiments in cannon boring (1798), which he considered to be the decisive evidence for denying the material theory of heat, and the other was the establishment of the Royal Institution (1799), which aimed to spread and apply science to industry and life. The former idea was conceived while he was supervising the boring of cannon during his time in Bavaria, and through experiments he regarded the nature of heat as motion and even calculated the work equivalent of heat. The latter was planned with his friend Joseph Banks (1743-1820), and the public lectures were started by the second chemistry professor Davy and his assistant, and Faraday's famous lectures were well received. Rumford left England in 1804 and died in Paris.

[Susumu Takayama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

アメリカで生まれ、イギリス、ドイツで活躍した物理学者、政治家。本名ベンジャミン・トンプソン。マサチューセッツ州に生まれる。少年時代から自然科学を独学、10代後半には熱に関心をもち、研究をした。1775年独立戦争が勃発(ぼっぱつ)、彼はイギリス側についたが、1776年イギリスに亡命。

　イギリスでは植民地省に勤めながら、火薬の爆発力、海上信号法、兵器改良などの実験、研究を進め、王立協会会員に選ばれ、1781年には協会の機関誌に火薬についての実験報告をした。1784年からはバイエルン選帝侯の下で軍務大臣・内務大臣を務め、軍隊の改組やさまざまな社会的問題の改良に努め、1793年伯爵に叙せられ、ランフォード伯を名のった。1798年イギリスに戻ってロンドンに住み、二つの大きな仕事に取り組んだ。その一つは、熱の物質説否定の決定的根拠と彼が考えた大砲の中ぐり実験の報告（1798）であり、もう一つは、科学の産業と生活への普及と応用を目的とした王立研究所（ロイヤル・インスティチューション）の設立（1799）である。前者はバイエルン時代に大砲の中ぐり作業の監督中に着想し、実験によって熱の本性を運動とみなし、熱の仕事当量まで計算した。後者は友人のバンクスJoseph Banks（1743―1820）とともに計画、公開講義は2代目化学教授デービーとその助手から始まり、ファラデーの名講義は評判をよんだ。ランフォードは1804年イギリスを去り、パリで生涯を終えた。

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