Josiah Willard Gibbs: Difference between revisions

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Josiah Willard Gibbs was an American born scientist known primarily for his studies in thermodynamics and development of statistical mechanics. His findings paved the way for future discoveries in quantum mechanics and theoretical physics.

Personal Life

Early Life

Josiah Willard Gibbs was born to Josiah Gibbs Sr. and Mary Anna Van Cleve on February 11, 1839 in New Haven, Connecticut. As a child he lived a relatively privileged life with his four older sisters. Education was encouraged in his family as not only was his father a professor at Yale, but also had one relative who held a position as president of Harvard and another relative who was the first president of Princeton.

His classmates at The Hopkins School, a small private school in New Haven, often described him as quiet and "intellectually absorbed." His fragile pulmonary and overall health likely contributed to his introverted demeanor as it prevented him from interacting with his peers.

Later Life

Gibbs continued his pursuit of education when he matriculated to Yale when he was only 15 years old (in 1854). There, he began to pursue engineering research while also receiving numerous awards for his exceptional academic performance in Latin and Mathematics. After successfully completing his undergraduate career, Gibbs continued with graduate studies at Yale. In 1863, at the age of 19, Josiah Willard Gibbs became the first American to receive a doctorate in engineering. It is evident that his academic accomplishments were made possible through his intellect and work ethic, but it is worth noting that his health problems prevented him from serving in the Civil War and allowed him to focus on his studies.

Several years after finishing his graduate work and completing three years as a tutor at Yale, Josiah Willard Gibbs journeyed to Europe with his sisters where he attended lectures on mathematics and physics. After his three years abroad, Gibbs returned to America with a more european view of science. This was one of the reasons that despite his future scientific work, notoriety came very slowly, if at all, in the United States.

Gibbs became a pioneer in another aspect of academia when in 1871, he became the first professor of Mathematical Physics in the United States. Due to his financial security from his inheritance from his parents, he taught without pay for nine years at Yale.

During his remaining years, Josiah Willard Gibbs maintained his reclusive lifestyle. Not only did he never marry, but he also remained living in his childhood home with his older sister and her husband. Despite a few vacations to the Adirondacks and New Hampshire, Gibbs spent the rest of his life in New Haven either working at Yale or in his home. He died April 28th 1903 from acute intestinal obstruction.

Scientific Work

Early Scientific Career

Despite his intellect, Josiah Willard Gibbs did not attract much attention in the scientific community for several reasons. One of these being that American colleges at the time did not encourage research, another being academia focused more on "practical" questions rather than theoretical ones. Additionally, his writings were esoteric in a unique sense; chemists found his papers to be to mathematical, while mathematicians found them to be too scientific.

However, due to his theoretical capabilities, he was able to develop one of his most prominent achievements. By analyzing James Watt's steam engine governor and analyzing its equilibrium, he bagan to develop an equation to calculate and quantify the equilibriums of chemical processes. (This will be discussed in further detail shortly).

Scientific Contributions

As mentioned before, his brilliance in the scientific field was unfortunately not appreciated at the time however made lasting impacts on the scientific community.

Arguably, his most famous contribution was the concept of Gibbs Free Energy. In short this relates a systems energy and entropy. He believed that understanding a systems equilibrium (the maximum of a systems' entropy) was essential in understanding the system as a whole. His equations developed allow one the calculate a system's free energy, how fast the reaction will occur, its direction, and spontaneity. He was the first person to derive a differential equation relating temperature, entropy, energy, pressure and volume which can be simplified into the following equation:

This theory can also be used to find the change in Gibbs Free Energy as shown in the following equation:

If the numerical value for Delta G is negative, the reaction is spontaneous. If the value is positive, the reaction is non-spontaneous. If the value is zero, the system is in its equilibrium state.

Another famous theory he developed is known as Gibbs Phase Rule. This theory applies to heterogenous systems in thermodynamic equilibrium and succinctly calculates the number of possible phases in a system.

In his goal to find simpler approaches to science, Gibbs played a pivotal role in popularizing the use of vector notation in physics. This more straight forward method replaced the more complex method of quaternions which were previously used.

Significance of Gibbs' Scientific Contributions

Gibbs' contributions forever changed the way the world looks at and studies science and laid the groundwork for many future scientists' discoveries/theories. His work was a main factor in the development of physical chemistry as a field of study. Although Gibbs contributed new ideas to academia, he also aimed to simplify previous theories and topics, such as quaternions.

It is quite noteworthy that Albert Einstein, one of the most famous modern scientists, called Gibbs, "the greatest mind in American history."

Recognition

Notable papers

Josiah Willard Gibbs could be considered a late bloomer in the scientific community. Although his papers became quite influential, his first paper was not published until he was 34 years old. The following are a few of his most famous papers:

1873: Graphical Methods in the Thermodynamics of Fluids (his first major paper)

1873: A Method of Geometrical Representation of Thermodynamic Properties of Substances by Means of Surfaces

1876: On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances (undoubtedly Gibbs' most famous paper)

1902: The Elementary Principles of Statistical Mechanics (this laid the foundation for new branch of theoretical physics, statistical mechanics, and paved way for developments in quantum mechanics and Maxwell’s theories)

Awards

1858: Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences

1892: London Mathematical Society Honorary Member

1897: Fellow of Royal Society

1901: Royal Society of Copley Medal (This is the highest award from Royal Society of London awarded for either most important scientific discovery or greatest contribution by experiment)

Connectedness

Josiah Willard Gibbs contributions to the scientific community are so much more influential than the average person could ever imagine. As mentioned previously, his findings allowed future scientists, such as Einstein, to make their breakthrough discoveries. His theories impact daily life on the micro and macroscopic scale. With regards to industrial applications, his findings are crucial as they accurately predict the outcomes of reactions.

As a Materials Science and Engineering major, much of what Gibbs studied and discovered is interconnected with my studies. For example, Gibbs phase rule is ever-present in phase diagrams of materials. I find it admirable that he not only persevered, but also remained humble throughout his life despite his lack of recognition.

References

[[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4]] [[5]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Template
+Josiah Willard Gibbs was an American born scientist known primarily for his studies in thermodynamics and development of statistical mechanics. His findings paved the way for future discoveries in quantum mechanics and theoretical physics.
-Contents [hide]
-Thermodynamics
-.1 Zeroth Law
-.1.1 A Mathematical Model
-.1.2 A Computational Model
-.2 First Law
-.2.1 A Mathematical Model
-Second Law
-.1 Mathematical Models
-.2 Examples
-Connectedness
-History
-See also
-.1 Further reading
-.2 External links
-References
-Thermodynamics[edit]
-This topics focuses on energy work of a system but it can only deal with a large scale response to heat in a system. Thermodynamics is the study of the work, heat and energy of a system. The smaller scale gas interactions can explained using the kinetic theory of gases. There are three fundamental laws that go along with the topic of thermodynamics. They are the zeroth law, the first law, and the second law. These laws help us understand predict the the operation of the physical system. In order to understand the laws, you must first understand thermal equilibrium. Thermal equilibrium is reached when a object that is at a higher temperature is in contact with an object that is at a lower temperature and the first object transfers heat to the latter object until they approach the same temperature and maintain that temperature constantly. It is also important to note that any thermodynamic system in thermal equilibrium possesses internal energy.
-Zeroth Law[edit]
+ [[File: OldGibbs.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Josiah Willard Gibbs]]
-The zeroth law states that if two systems are at thermal equilibrium at the same time as a third system, then all of the systems are at equilibrium with each other. If systems A and C are in thermal equilibrium with B, then system A and C are also in thermal equilibrium with each other. There are underlying ideas of heat that are also important. The most prominent one is that all heat is of the same kind. As long as the systems are at thermal equilibrium, every unit of internal energy that passes from one system to the other is balanced by the same amount of energy passing back. This also applies when the two systems or objects have different atomic masses or material.
-A Mathematical Model[edit]
-If A = B and A = C, then B = C A = B = C
-A Computational Model[edit]
+==Personal Life==
-How do we visualize or predict using this topic. Consider embedding some vpython code here Teach hands-on with GlowScript
-First Law[edit]
+===Early Life===
-The first law of thermodynamics defines the internal energy (E) as equal to the difference between heat transfer (Q) into a system and work (W) done by the system. Heat removed from a system would be given a negative sign and heat applied to the system would be given a positive sign. Internal energy can be converted into other types of energy because it acts like potential energy. Heat and work, however, cannot be stored or conserved independently because they depend on the process. This allows for many different possible states of a system to exist. There can be a process known as the adiabatic process in which there is no heat transfer. This occurs when a system is full insulated from the outside environment. The implementation of this law also brings about another useful state variable, enthalpy.
-A Mathematical Model[edit]
+	Josiah Willard Gibbs was born to Josiah Gibbs Sr. and Mary Anna Van Cleve on February 11, 1839 in New Haven, Connecticut. As a child he lived a relatively privileged life with his four older sisters. Education was encouraged in his family as not only was his father a professor at Yale, but also had one relative who held a position as president of Harvard and another relative who was the first president of Princeton.
-E2 - E1 = Q - W
+ [[File: Ctnewhaven.jpg|150px|thumb|right]]
+His classmates at The Hopkins School, a small private school in New Haven, often described him as quiet and "intellectually absorbed." His fragile pulmonary and overall health likely contributed to his introverted demeanor as it prevented him from interacting with his peers.
-Second Law[edit]
-The second law states that there is another useful variable of heat, entropy (S). Entropy can be described as the disorder or chaos of a system, but in physics, we will just refer to it as another variable like enthalpy or temperature. For any given physical process, the combined entropy of a system and the environment remains a constant if the process can be reversed. The second law also states that if the physical process is irreversible, the combined entropy of the system and the environment must increase. Therefore, the final entropy must be greater than the initial entropy.
-Mathematical Models[edit]
+===Later Life===
-delta S = delta Q/T Sf = Si (reversible process) Sf > Si (irreversible process)
-Examples[edit]
+	Gibbs continued his pursuit of education when he matriculated to Yale when he was only 15 years old (in 1854). There, he began to pursue engineering research while also receiving numerous awards for his exceptional academic performance in Latin and Mathematics. After successfully completing his undergraduate career, Gibbs continued with graduate studies at Yale. In 1863, at the age of 19, Josiah Willard Gibbs became the first American to receive a doctorate in engineering. It is evident that his academic accomplishments were made possible through his intellect and work ethic, but it is worth noting that his health problems prevented him from serving in the Civil War and allowed him to focus on his studies.
-Reversible process: Ideally forcing a flow through a constricted pipe, where there are no boundary layers. As the flow moves through the constriction, the pressure, volume and temperature change, but they return to their normal values once they hit the downstream. This return to the variables' original values allows there to be no change in entropy. It is often known as an isentropic process.
+ [[File: yale.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Yale campus in the 19th Century]]
+	Several years after finishing his graduate work and completing three years as a tutor at Yale, Josiah Willard Gibbs journeyed to Europe with his sisters where he attended lectures on mathematics and physics. After his three years abroad, Gibbs returned to America with a more european view of science. This was one of the reasons that despite his future scientific work, notoriety came very slowly, if at all, in the United States.
-Irreversible process: When a hot object and cold object are put in contact with each other, eventually the heat from the hot object will transfer to the cold object and the two will reach the same temperature and stay constant at that temperature, reaching equilibrium. However, once those objects are separated, they will remain at that equilibrium temperature until something else acts upon it. The objects do not go back to their original temperatures so there is a change in entropy.
+	Gibbs became a pioneer in another aspect of academia when in 1871, he became the first professor of Mathematical Physics in the United States. Due to his financial security from his inheritance from his parents, he taught without pay for nine years at Yale. [[File: grave.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Josiah Willard Gibbs' gravestone]]
-Connectedness[edit]
+	During his remaining years, Josiah Willard Gibbs maintained his reclusive lifestyle. Not only did he never marry, but he also remained living in his childhood home with his older sister and her husband. Despite a few vacations to the Adirondacks and New Hampshire, Gibbs spent the rest of his life in New Haven either working at Yale or in his home. He died April 28th 1903 from acute intestinal obstruction.
-How is this topic connected to something that you are interested in?
-How is it connected to your major?
-Is there an interesting industrial application?
-History[edit]
-Thermodynamics was brought up as a science in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, it was first brought up by Galilei, who introduced the concept of temperature and invented the first thermometer. G. Black first introduced the word 'thermodynamics'. Later, G. Wilke introduced another unit of measurement known as the calorie that measures heat. The idea of thermodynamics was brought up by Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot. He is often known as "the father of thermodynamics". It all began with the development of the steam engine during the Industrial Revolution. He devised an ideal cycle of operation. During his observations and experimentations, he had the incorrect notion that heat is conserved, however he was able to lay down theorems that led to the development of thermodynamics. In the 20th century, the science of thermodynamics became a conventional term and a basic division of physics. Thermodynamics dealt with the study of general properties of physical systems under equilibrium and the conditions necessary to obtain equilibrium.
-See also[edit]
+==Scientific Work ==
-Are there related topics or categories in this wiki resource for the curious reader to explore? How does this topic fit into that context?
-Further reading[edit]
+===Early Scientific Career===
-Books, Articles or other print media on this topic
+	Despite his intellect, Josiah Willard Gibbs did not attract much attention in the scientific community for several reasons. One of these being that American colleges at the time did not encourage research, another being academia focused more on "practical" questions rather than theoretical ones. Additionally, his writings were esoteric in a unique sense; chemists found his papers to be to mathematical, while mathematicians found them to be too scientific.
-External links[edit]
+	However, due to his theoretical capabilities, he was able to develop one of his most prominent achievements. By analyzing James Watt's steam engine governor and analyzing its equilibrium, he bagan to develop an equation to calculate and quantify the equilibriums of chemical processes. (This will be discussed in further detail shortly).
-Internet resources on this topic
+===Scientific Contributions===
+	As mentioned before, his brilliance in the scientific field was unfortunately not appreciated at the time however made lasting impacts on the scientific community.
-References[edit]
+	Arguably, his most famous contribution was the concept of Gibbs Free Energy. In short this relates a systems energy and entropy. He believed that understanding a systems equilibrium (the maximum of a systems' entropy) was essential in understanding the system as a whole. His equations developed allow one the calculate a system's free energy, how fast the reaction will occur, its direction, and spontaneity. He was the first person to derive a differential equation relating temperature, entropy, energy, pressure and volume which can be simplified into the following equation:
-https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/thermo0.html http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/thereq.html https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/thermo2.html http://www.phys.nthu.edu.tw/~thschang/notes/GP21.pdf http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153532/
+ [[File:Gibb.gif| 400px|thumb|center]]
+This theory can also be used to find the change in Gibbs Free Energy as shown in the following equation:
+ [[File:Delta g explanation.png| 400px|thumb|center]]
+If the numerical value for Delta G is negative, the reaction is spontaneous.
+If the value is positive, the reaction is non-spontaneous.
+If the value is zero, the system is in its equilibrium state.
+	Another famous theory he developed is known as Gibbs Phase Rule. This theory applies to heterogenous systems in thermodynamic equilibrium and succinctly calculates the number of possible phases in a system.
+ [[File:Phase-rule-4-638.jpg| 400px|thumb|center]]
+	In his goal to find simpler approaches to science, Gibbs played a pivotal role in popularizing the use of vector notation in physics. This more straight forward method replaced the more complex method of quaternions which were previously used.
+===Significance of Gibbs' Scientific Contributions===
+	Gibbs' contributions forever changed the way the world looks at and studies science and laid the groundwork for many future scientists' discoveries/theories. His work was a main factor in the development of physical chemistry as a field of study. Although Gibbs contributed new ideas to academia, he also aimed to simplify previous theories and topics, such as quaternions.
+	It is quite noteworthy that Albert Einstein, one of the most famous modern scientists, called Gibbs, "the greatest mind in American history."
+==Recognition==
+===Notable papers===
+	Josiah Willard Gibbs could be considered a late bloomer in the scientific community. Although his papers became quite influential, his first paper was not published until he was 34 years old. The following are a few of his most famous papers:
+: ''Graphical Methods in the Thermodynamics of Fluids'' (his first major paper)
+: ''A Method of Geometrical Representation of Thermodynamic Properties of Substances
+	by Means of Surfaces''
+: ''On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances'' (undoubtedly Gibbs' most famous paper)
+: ''The Elementary Principles of Statistical Mechanics'' (this laid the foundation for new branch of theoretical physics, statistical mechanics, and paved way for developments in quantum mechanics and Maxwell’s theories)
+===Awards===
+: ''Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences''
+: ''London Mathematical Society Honorary Member''
+: ''Fellow of Royal Society''
+: ''Royal Society of Copley Medal'' (This is the highest award from Royal Society of London awarded for either most important scientific discovery or greatest contribution by experiment)
+==Connectedness==
+	Josiah Willard Gibbs contributions to the scientific community are so much more influential than the average person could ever imagine. As mentioned previously, his findings allowed future scientists, such as Einstein, to make their breakthrough discoveries. His theories impact daily life on the micro and macroscopic scale. With regards to industrial applications, his findings are crucial as they accurately predict the outcomes of reactions.
+	As a Materials Science and Engineering major, much of what Gibbs studied and discovered is interconnected with my studies. For example, Gibbs phase rule is ever-present in phase diagrams of materials. I find it admirable that he not only persevered, but also remained humble throughout his life despite his lack of recognition.
+== See also ==
+===Further reading===
+''Josiah Willard Gibbs: The History of a Great Mind'' by Lynde Phelps Wheeler
+''Elementary Principles in Statistical Mechanics'' by Josiah Willard Gibbs
+''Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs'' by Josiah Willard Gibbs
+''Memoir of the Gibbs family of Warwickshire, England, and United States of America'' by Josiah Willard Gibbs
+==References==
+[[https://www.aip.org/history/gap/Gibbs/Gibbs.html]]
+[[http://www.britannica.com/biography/J-Willard-Gibbs]]
+[[https://www.aps.org/programs/outreach/history/historicsites/gibbs.cfm]]
+[[http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Gibbs.html]]
+[[http://www.geni.com/people/J-Willard-Gibbs/6000000017681334847]]
+[[Category:Notable Scientists]]