Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff
- Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff
Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff (January 15, 1803 in Hanover – December 20, 1877 in Paris) was a German instrument maker who commercialised the induction coil (often referred to as the Ruhmkorff coil.)
Ruhmkorff was born in Hanover. After an apprenticeship with a German mechanic he moved to England. Biographies say that he worked with the inventor Joseph Bramah, but this is unlikely since Bramah died in 1814. He may, though, have worked for the Bramah company. In 1855 he set up a shop in Paris, where he gained a reputation for the high quality of his electrical apparatus.
Although Ruhmkorff is often credited with the invention of the induction coil, it was in fact invented by Nicholas Callan in 1836. However, Ruhmkorff improved the design (as did many later engineers), using glass insulation and other innovations to allow the production of sparks more than 30 centimetres long. He first patented the coil in 1851, and its success was such that in 1858 he was awarded a 50,000-franc prize by Napoleon III for the most important discovery in the application of electricity. He died in Paris in 1877.
In several of Jules Verne's science-fiction novels, ["Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864), "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865), and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1869).] so-called "Ruhmkorff lamps" are mentioned. These were an early form of portable electric lamp. The lamp consisted of a Geissler tube that was excited by a battery-powered Ruhmkorff induction coil. Intended for use by miners, the lamp was actually developed by A. Dumas and Dr. Benoit. [A. Dumas and Benoit (1862) "Physique Appliquée — Note sur un appareil propre à éclairer les ouvriers mineurs dans leurs travaux souterrains au moyen de la lumière d'induction," "Comptes Rendus", vol. 55, pages 439-440.] [See also: "Jules Verne und die Elektrizität: Kapitel 2: Die Ruhmkorfflampe" [in German] . Available on-line at: http://www.j-verne.de/verne_technik01_1.html . ]
Footnotes
External links
* [http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/~eugeniik/history/ruhmkorff.htm Biography] with photographs accessed April 12, 2006
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff — Heinrich Daniel Rühmkorff oder Ruhmkorff (* 15. Januar 1803 in Hannover; † 20. oder 21. Dezember 1877 in Paris) war Mechaniker und Forscher auf dem Gebiet der Elektrotechnik. Rühmkorffscher Funkeninduktor … Deutsch Wikipedia
Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff — Rühmkorff bobine d induction Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff (15 janvier 1803, Hanovre Allemagne 20 décembre 1877 Paris France) était un ingénieur allemand. Heinrich Ruhmkorff inventa la bobine d indu … Wikipédia en Français
Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff — Bobina de inducción de Ruhmkorff. Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff o Rühmkorff (Hanóver, 15 de enero de 1803 – París, 20 de diciembre de 1877) fue un físico alemán, inventor de la bobina de inducción. Se estableció en París, donde se dedicó… … Wikipedia Español
Heinrich Daniel Rühmkorff — Rühmkorffscher Funkeninduktor … Deutsch Wikipedia
Ruhmkorff, Heinrich Daniel — ▪ German inventor born , Jan. 15, 1803, Hannover, Hanover died Dec. 20, 1877, Paris, France German mechanic who invented the Ruhmkorff coil, a type of induction coil that could produce sparks more than 1 foot (30 centimetres) in length.… … Universalium
Rühmkorff — Heinrich Daniel Rühmkorff oder Ruhmkorff (* 15. Januar 1803 in Hannover; † 20. oder 21. Dezember 1877 in Paris) war Mechaniker und Forscher auf dem Gebiet der Elektrotechnik. Rühmkorffscher Funkeninduktor … Deutsch Wikipedia
Ruhmkorff — Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff Rühmkorff bobine d induction Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff (15 janvier 1803, Hanovre Allemagne 20 décembre 1877 Paris France) était un ingénieur allemand. Heinric … Wikipédia en Français
ruhmkorff coil — ˈrümˌkȯrf noun Usage: usually capitalized R Etymology: after Heinrich Ruhmkorff died 1877 German physicist, its inventor : induction coil * * * /roohm kawrf/, Elect. See induction coil. [1850 55; named after Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff (1803 77) … Useful english dictionary
Ruhmkorff coil — /roohm kawrf/, Elect. See induction coil. [1850 55; named after Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff (1803 77), German physicist, its inventor] * * * … Universalium
Rühmkorff — (Ruhmkorff), Heinrich Daniel, Mechaniker, geb. 15. Jan. 1803 in Hannover, etablierte sich 1839 in Paris und starb daselbst 20. Dez. 1877. Im J. 1844 stellte er einen thermoelektrischen Apparat auf und 1849 einen sehr sinnreichen Apparat, um die… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
