Biography of lord william thomson kelvin theory

British Broadcasting Corporation Home. William Thomson was born on 26 June in Belfast. He was taught by his father, a professor of mathematics. In , the family moved to Glasgow where Thomson attended university from the age of 10, subsequently studying at Cambridge and Paris universities. In he became professor of natural philosophy in Glasgow, a post he would hold for more than 50 years.

Why is william thomson called lord kelvin

In Glasgow, Thomson created the first physics laboratory in Britain. He was a pioneer in many different fields, particularly electromagnetism and thermodynamics. Together with Faraday, he was responsible for the introduction of the concept of an electromagnetic field. In thermodynamics, Thomson assimilated and developed the work of the pioneers of the subject, Nicolas Carnot and James Joule.

One of the most important results of his work was his idea of an absolute zero of temperature - the scale based on this is named after him. Throughout his work Thomson's overriding goal was the practical utilisation of science. He achieved fame through his work on submarine telegraphy, a major practical problem of the day.