mechanical engineer
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James Watt’s “eureka!” moment
“In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.” – Louis Pasteur (1854) Experiencing a “eureka!” moment of insight into nature is absolutely thrilling. I’ve been very fortunate to have had several such moments and enjoy others’ stories too, including those of Henrietta Leavitt, Robert Mayer, Rudolf Clausius, and Thomas Newcomen, which I… Continue reading
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The Road to Entropy – Phil Hosken on Richard Trevithick and the invention of the high-pressure steam engine (video)
As shared in my previous post (here), the historical road to entropy started with Denis Papin’s development of the piston-in-cylinder assembly and Thomas Newcomen’s and James Watt’s subsequent efforts to commercialize and continuously improve fire engines or atmospheric engines built around this assembly. Steam at atmospheric pressure was employed in these engines, not as a… Continue reading
Block by Block – The Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Thermodynamics. “Hanlon has written a masterpiece.” – Mike Pauken, Senior Engineer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and author of Thermodynamics for Dummies
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About Me
Hi! I’m Bob Hanlon. After earning my Sc.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and enjoying a long career in both industry and academia, I’ve returned to school, my own self-guided school, seeking to better understand the world of thermodynamics. Please join me on my journey.
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