All Topics  
C. F. du Fay

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

C. F. du Fay
 
 
  Topics C. F. du Fay Topic Home

Charles François de Cisternay du Fay (Paris, 14 September1698 – 1739) was a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 chemist
Chemist

A chemist is a scientist trained in the science of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density, acidity, size and shape....
 and superintendent of the Jardin du Roi
Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Mus?um national d'histoire naturelle....
.

He discovered the existence of two types of electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 and named them "vitreous
Vitreous

Vitreous or glassy refers to a material in an amorphous state , thereby forming a glass. In such a state, the constituent atoms do not exhibit the long-range order that is characteristic of crystals....
" and "resinous" (later known as positive and negative charge
Electric charge

Electric charge is a fundamental conserved property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interaction. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields....
 respectively.) He noted the difference between conductors and insulators, calling them 'electrics' and 'non-electrics' for their ability to produce contact electrification
Contact electrification

Contact electrification is an obsolete scientific theory from the Age of Enlightenment that attempted to account for all the sources of Electrical charge known at the time....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'C. F. du Fay'
Start a new discussion about 'C. F. du Fay'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Charles François de Cisternay du Fay (Paris, 14 September1698 – 1739) was a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 chemist
Chemist

A chemist is a scientist trained in the science of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density, acidity, size and shape....
 and superintendent of the Jardin du Roi
Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Mus?um national d'histoire naturelle....
.

He discovered the existence of two types of electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 and named them "vitreous
Vitreous

Vitreous or glassy refers to a material in an amorphous state , thereby forming a glass. In such a state, the constituent atoms do not exhibit the long-range order that is characteristic of crystals....
" and "resinous" (later known as positive and negative charge
Electric charge

Electric charge is a fundamental conserved property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interaction. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields....
 respectively.) He noted the difference between conductors and insulators, calling them 'electrics' and 'non-electrics' for their ability to produce contact electrification
Contact electrification

Contact electrification is an obsolete scientific theory from the Age of Enlightenment that attempted to account for all the sources of Electrical charge known at the time....
. He also discovered that alike-charged objects would repel each other and that unlike-charged objects attract.He also disproved certain misconceptions regarding electric charge, such as that of Dr. Stephen Gray
Stephen Gray (scientist)

Stephen Gray was an England dyeing and amateur astronomer, who was the first to systematically experiment with electrical conduction, rather than simple generation of static electricity charges and investigations of the static phenomena....
 who believed that electric properties of a body depended on its colour. Du Fay's observations on electricity were reported in a paper written in December of 1733 and printed in Volume 38 of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1734.

External links


  • , du Fay 1733