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James Prescott Joule

James Prescott Joule

1 8.4
An English scientist who showed heat and work are forms of energy
  • proper noun
: James Prescott Joule
  • The SI unit of energy, the joule, is named after James Prescott Joule.

Examples

  • Many physics students learn about James Prescott Joule and his experiments with heat and energy.

  • The work of James Prescott Joule was fundamental in the development of thermodynamics.

  • The SI unit of energy, the joule, is named after James Prescott Joule.

  • James Prescott Joule made history.

  • Wow! James Prescott Joule changed our understanding of energy!

  • Many physics students learn about James Prescott Joule and his experiments with heat and energy.

  • The work of James Prescott Joule was fundamental in the development of thermodynamics.

Surface Forms

Morphology

James + Prescott + Joule

This item is a proper name composed of personal names that carry no lexical information about profession or achievements. A B1 learner who knows the constituent names would not be able to infer the biographical meaning (English physicist, dates, discoveries), so the expression is not compositionally derivable from its parts.

Etymology

James Prescott Joule was an English scientist who measured how much work could be turned into heat by careful experiments with falling weights and moving parts. Because he showed that moving things and heat are the same kind of 'energy', the SI unit of energy was named the 'joule' in his honor.