Giovanni Battista Beccaria

Giovanni Battista Beccaria
Giovanni Battista Beccaria
    Giovanni Battista Beccaria
     Catholic_Encyclopedia Giovanni Battista Beccaria
    A physicist, born at Mondovi, 3 October, 1716; died at Turin, 27 May, 1781. At the age of sixteen he entered the Order of Clerks Regular of St. Joseph Calasanctius, and successively taught in the Scuole Pie of Palermo and Rome. His ability as instructor being soon recognized, he was appointed by royal authority professor of physics in the University of Turin (1748). Here be ardently devoted himself to researches on atmospheric electricity, in which he made liberal use of kites, rockets, and iron wire for the purpose of exploring the electrical conditions of the atmosphere. Henley's pith-ball electroscope was his recording instrument. In broken or stormy weather, positive and negative electrification were detected; whereas in calm, serene weather "the excessive or positive was always found". The sinuous or forked character of lightning was attributed to the resistance of the air; and the rupture of the shoes of a man struck by a flash, to the "moisture of the feet flying into vapour". Beccaria confirmed the observation of Andrew Gordon that water evaporates more rapidly when electrified; also the conclusion of Abbés Nollet and Menon that animals (cats, pigeons, chaffinches) lose weight when subjected to prolonged electrification, the loss being ascribed to increased "transpiration" under electrical stimulus. He was also among the first to recognize and clearly state that the electrical charge on a conductor is confined to the surface. An experimental demonstration of this law of electrostatics was devised by Cavendish in 1775 and independently by Coulomb in 1788 and popularized in 1816 by Biot, whose name it usually bears. Beccaria adopted the two-fluid theory of Franklin as well as the views of the American philosopher on the preventive and protective functions of lightning conductors.
    In 1755 Beccaria was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1766 he contributed a paper to the "Philosophical Transactions", in which he describes (in Latin) five of the more important of his experimental researches. In 1770 he contributed a second paper (also in Latin) in which he expounds five theorems followed by fifteen corollaries in electrostatics. His principal work is his treatise "Dell' elettricismo artificiale e naturale" (1753), which was translated into English in 1778. Other works are "Lettere sull' elettricismo" (1758); "Experimenta atque observationes quibus electricitas vindex late constituitur" (1769); and "Dell' elettricita terrestre atmosferica a cielo sereno" (1775).
    TANA, Elogio del P. Giov. Batta. Beccaria (1781); EANDI, Memorie storiche intorno agli studii del P. Beccaria (1783).
    BROTHER POTAMIAN
    Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

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  • Giovanni Battista Beccaria — (October 3, 1716 ndash; May 27, 1781), [ [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16009a.htm Giovanni Battista Beccaria] Catholic Encyclopedia] Italian physicist, was born at Mondovì, and entered the religious order of the Pious Schools in 1732.He became …   Wikipedia

  • Giovanni Battista Beccaria — Giovanni Battista (ou Giambattista) Beccaria (né le 3 octobre 1716 à Mondovi et mort le 27 mai 1781 à Turin) est un physicien italien. Biographie Cette section est vide, insuffisamment détaillée ou incomplète. Votre aide est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Giovanni Battista Beccaria — (Mondovì, 3 de octubre de 1716 Turín, 27 de mayo de 1781) fue un físico italiano. Biografía En 1731 entró en la orden religiosa de los escolapios. Ejerció de profesor de física experimental primero en Palermo, Roma, y después en Turín en 1748.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Giovanni Battista — Giovanni Battista, was a common Italian given name (see Battista for those with the surname) in the 16th 18th centuries, which in English means John the Baptist . Common nicknames include Giambattista, Gianbattista or Giovambattista. The Genoese… …   Wikipedia

  • Beccaria, Giovanni Battista — • Physicist (1716 1781) Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Beccaria — Beccaria,   1) Cesare, Marchese de Bonesana, italienischer Jurist, * Mailand 15. 3. 1738, ✝ ebenda 28. 11. 1794; forderte in seiner Schrift »Dei delitti e delle pene« (1764; deutsch »Von den Verbrechen und Strafen«) als einer der ersten die… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Beccarīa — Beccarīa, berühmte Familie zu Pavia, Häuptlinge der Ghibellinen u. Gegner der Grafen von Langusco, s.u. Pavia (Gesch.). Von den späteren sind merkwürdig: 1) Giovanni Battista, geb. 1716 zu Mondovi, war Professor der Physik zu Turin u. st. 1781.… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Beccaria [2] — Beccaria, Giovanni Battista, berühmter ital. Naturforscher, geb. 1716 zu Mondovi, lehrte zu Palermo u. Rom, wurde später Professor der Physik zu Turin und st. daselbst 1781. Besonders verdient durch seine Untersuchungen über Elektricität.… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Cesare Beccaria — Beccaria redirects here. For the physicist, see Giovanni Battista Beccaria. Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria Born March 15, 1738 Milan Died November …   Wikipedia

  • Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria — Beccaria redirects here. This article is about the philosopher and politician. For the physicist please see Giovanni Battista Beccaria. Infobox Person name =Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria image size = caption = birth date =March 15, 1738 birth place …   Wikipedia

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