Francis Hauksbee

views updated

Francis Hauksbee

c. 1666-1713

English physicist remembered for his demonstrations while curator of experiments for the Royal Society of London. Hauksbee introduced the double-cylinder vacuum pump, which he employed extensively. He examined luminous, friction-induced effects in vacuums, confirmed the pressure dependence of sound's transmission in air, determined the density of water relative to air, and thoroughly investigated capillarity and surface forces. His researches were described in his Physico-Mechanical Experiments (1709, 1719) which was widely read during the eighteenth century.

More From encyclopedia.com