Early Life and Education
– Charles-Augustin de Coulomb was born in Angoulême, France, to Henry Coulomb and Catherine Bajet.
– He studied at Collège Mazarin in Paris, focusing on philosophy, language, literature, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, and botany.
– Coulomb submitted his first publication to the Society of Sciences in Montpellier.
– He graduated from École royale du génie de Mézières in 1761 and joined the French army as an engineer.
– Coulomb was involved in various engineering projects and was stationed in locations such as Brest, Martinique, Bouchain, and Rochefort.
Contributions to Mechanics
– Coulomb’s important works on applied mechanics were presented to the Académie des Sciences in Paris.
– He conducted experiments on mechanics in the shipyards of Rochefort.
– Coulomb published an investigation of the laws of friction and later a memoir on fluid resistance.
– He discovered the inverse relationship between the force between electric charges and the square of their distance.
– Coulomb also discovered the same relationship between magnetic poles, which became known as Coulomb’s law.
Research on Torsion and Electricity
– Coulomb’s memoir on torsion and the elasticity of metal wire was published in 1784.
– He developed a torsion balance to measure the torsional force of metal wires.
– Coulomb’s experiments showed that the moment of torque is proportional to the torsional angle, the fourth power of the diameter, and inversely proportional to the length of the wire.
– In his reports on electricity and magnetism, Coulomb described the construction and use of an electric balance.
– He experimentally determined the law of repulsion between two electrified bodies, stating that it follows the inverse proportion of the square of the distance.
Contributions to Electromagnetism
– Coulomb presented reports on the laws of attraction and repulsion between electric charges and magnetic poles.
– He explained the behavior of the electric fluid and its division between different objects brought into contact.
– Coulomb’s research contributed to the understanding of electric density on the surface of conducting objects.
– He did not find a direct relationship between electricity and magnetism.
– Coulomb believed that attraction and repulsion were due to different kinds of fluids.
Legacy and Recognition
– Coulomb’s contributions to geotechnical engineering are recognized for his work on retaining wall design.
– His name is inscribed on the Eiffel Tower, among 72 other names.
– Coulomb’s research on friction earned him recognition as one of the 23 Men of Tribology.
– He was one of the first members of the French National Institute and served as an inspector of public instruction.
– Coulomb’s name is used in physical constants and he has various things named after him. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Augustin_de_Coulomb
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (/ˈkuːlɒm, -loʊm, kuːˈlɒm, -ˈloʊm/, KOO-lom, -lohm, koo-LOM, -LOHM;French: [kulɔ̃]; 14 June 1736 – 23 August 1806) was a French officer, engineer, and physicist. He is best known as the eponymous discoverer of what is now called Coulomb's law, the description of the electrostatic force of attraction and repulsion. He also did important work on friction.
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Hippolyte Lecomte (1894 copy) | |
| Born | 14 June 1736 |
| Died | 23 August 1806 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | École royale du génie de Mézières |
| Known for | Torsion balance Coulomb's law Coulomb friction Coulomb damping Mohr-Coulomb theory |
The SI unit of electric charge, the coulomb, was named in his honor in 1880.
