Fascinating Facts

Units of measurement named after people

JOULE
After James Prescott Joule, English (1818-1889). The joule is a unit of energy.

KELVIN
After William Thomson Lord Kelvin, British (1824-1907). The kelvin is the unit of absolute temperature. Thus, absolute zero is zero kelvin, symbolized by 0 K. And water, which boils at 212°F. or 100°C., boils also at 373.15 K.

NEWTON
After Sir Isaac Newton, English (1642-1727). The newton is a unit of force. Thus, 1 newton equals the force with which a mass of 101.97 grams presses downward under standard gravitational conditions on earth. And a mass of 1 kilogram presses down with a force of 9.80665 newtons.

OHM
After Georg Simon Ohm, German (1787-1854). The ohm is a unit of electrical resistance.

PASCAL
After Blaise Pascal, French (1623-1662). The pascal, like the pound per square inch, or the kilogram of force per square meter, is a unit of pressure.

TESLA
After Nikola Tesla, a Croatian born in what was then part of Austria-Hungary and is now in Yugoslavia. He went to the U.S. at the age of 27, became an American citizen, and lived in the U.S. the rest of his life (1856-1943). The tesla is a unit of magnetic flux density, also called magnetic induction.

VOLT
After Alessandro Volta, Italian (1745-1827). The volt is a unit of electrical potential difference, or electromotive force.

WATT
After James Watt, Scottish (1736-1819). The watt is a unit of power, also described as the time rate of energy delivery or conversion.

WEBER
After Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German (1804-1891). The weber is a unit of magnetic flux.

AMPERE
After Andre-Marie Ampere, French (1775-1836). Ampere is a unit of electrical current, or the flow of electricity.

COULOMB
After Charles Augustin de Coulomb, French (17 The coulomb is a unit of electrical charge.

FARAD
After Michael Faraday, English (1791-1867). The unit of electrical capacitance.

HENRY
After Joseph Henry, U.S. (1797-1878). The henry i~ electrical inductance.

HERTZ
After Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, German (1857-1894). is a unit of frequency: 1 hertz = 1 cycle per second. The cycle and 1 kilohertz both equal 1,000 cycles per second.

During winter in cold climates, drunks have been found collapsed in a stupor with body temperatures in the range of 80°-85°F. At first glance, these people appear dead; their skin has a gray pallor, and their muscles are rigid, as if they are in rigor mortis. But when they warm up, they "come to life."

Wedding Anniversaries -And The Gift To Give On Each One

1st Paper
2nd Cotton (or calico)
3rd Leather
4th Linen (or silk)
5th Wood
6th iron (or candy)
7th Wool (or copper)
8th Bronze (or small electrical appliances)
9th Willow (or pottery)
l0th Tin (or aluminum)
11th Steel
12th Silk (or linen)
13th Lace
14th Ivory
15th Crystal (or glass)
20th China
25th Silver
30th Pearls
35th Coral (or jade)
40th Rubies
45th Sapphires
50th Gold
55th Emeralds
60th Diamonds
75th Diamonds again

For more fascinating facts and figures visit two of our other web sites Fascinating Facts and Figures and Fascinating Facts