Pierre Prévost
Encyclopedia
Pierre Prévost was a Swiss
philosopher and physicist
. In 1791 he showed that all bodies radiate heat, no matter how hot or cold they are.
, he was born in that city, and was educated for a clerical career. However, he abandoned it for law, and this too he quickly deserted to devote himself to education and to travelling. He became close friends with Jean Jacques Rousseau, and, a little later, with Dugald Stewart
, having previously distinguished himself as a translator of and commentator on Euripides
.
Frederick II of Prussia
secured him in 1780 as professor of philosophy, and made him member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin. He there became acquainted with Joseph Louis Lagrange
, and was thus led to turn his attention to physical science
.
After some years spent on political economy
and on the principles of the fine art
s (in connection with which he wrote, for the Berlin Memoirs, a remarkable dissertation on poetry) he returned to Geneva and began his work on magnetism
and on heat. Interrupted occasionally in his studies by political duties, in which he was often called to the front, he remained professor of philosophy at Geneva until he was called in 1810 to the chair of physics. He died at Geneva in 1839.
, philosophy, and political economy, but he will be remembered mainly for having published, with additions of his own, the Traite de physique of Georges-Louis Le Sage
, and for his enunciation of the law of exchange in radiation
.
His scientific publications included De l'Origine des forces magnetiques (1788), Mémoire sur l'Equilibre du feu (1791), Recherches physico-mecaniques sur la chaleur (1792), and Essai sur le calorique rayonnant (1809).
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
philosopher and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. In 1791 he showed that all bodies radiate heat, no matter how hot or cold they are.
Life
Son of a Protestant clergyman in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, he was born in that city, and was educated for a clerical career. However, he abandoned it for law, and this too he quickly deserted to devote himself to education and to travelling. He became close friends with Jean Jacques Rousseau, and, a little later, with Dugald Stewart
Dugald Stewart
Dugald Stewart was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher and mathematician. His father, Matthew Stewart , was professor of mathematics in the University of Edinburgh .-Life and works:...
, having previously distinguished himself as a translator of and commentator on Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
.
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
secured him in 1780 as professor of philosophy, and made him member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin. He there became acquainted with Joseph Louis Lagrange
Joseph Louis Lagrange
Joseph-Louis Lagrange , born Giuseppe Lodovico Lagrangia, was a mathematician and astronomer, who was born in Turin, Piedmont, lived part of his life in Prussia and part in France, making significant contributions to all fields of analysis, to number theory, and to classical and celestial mechanics...
, and was thus led to turn his attention to physical science
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science and science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences...
.
After some years spent on political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
and on the principles of the fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
s (in connection with which he wrote, for the Berlin Memoirs, a remarkable dissertation on poetry) he returned to Geneva and began his work on magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
and on heat. Interrupted occasionally in his studies by political duties, in which he was often called to the front, he remained professor of philosophy at Geneva until he was called in 1810 to the chair of physics. He died at Geneva in 1839.
Work
Prevost published much on philologyPhilology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, philosophy, and political economy, but he will be remembered mainly for having published, with additions of his own, the Traite de physique of Georges-Louis Le Sage
Georges-Louis Le Sage
Georges-Louis Le Sage was a physicist and is most known for his theory of gravitation, for his invention of an electric telegraph and his anticipation of the kinetic theory of gases....
, and for his enunciation of the law of exchange in radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
.
His scientific publications included De l'Origine des forces magnetiques (1788), Mémoire sur l'Equilibre du feu (1791), Recherches physico-mecaniques sur la chaleur (1792), and Essai sur le calorique rayonnant (1809).