Do you know that the unit of magnetomotive force known as a ‘Gilbert’ was named after William Gilbert?On May 24, 1544, William Gilbert was born in Colchester, Essex, and England. He died on November 30, 1603, in London. Some people also call him William Gilberd instead of William Gilbert.William Gilbert was an English natural philosopher, physician, and physicist. He was against the Aristotelian philosophy that prevailed in those times. He also rejected the Scholastic method, which was used for teaching in universities. Most importantly, he is famous for the book ‘De Magnete’ that he wrote in the year 1600.William Gilbert became a pioneer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. At that time, he was regarded as the most distinguished personality of science in England. William Gilbert was educated to become a physician. In 1573, after completing his education, he shifted to London permanently and began practicing. His work was specialized in magnetism. In 1600, he was the one who discovered the roots of magnetism by researching magnetic bodies, the famous Loadstone as well as our planet Earth which is now called a great magnet.Gilbert’s work profile includes Magneticisque Corporibus, De Magnete, et de Magno Magnete Tellure reflects his work in magnetism and electrical attractions. After spending years researching and experimenting, he was the one who discovered the reason why compass needles point in the North-South direction and dip in the downward direction. Gilbert concluded, with logic, that the Earth is nothing but a gigantic bar magnet. He was the first person who used the terms magnetic pole, electrical force, and electrical attraction. Renowned physicians regard him as the father of electrical studies.William Gilbert was appointed as the personal physician of Queen Elizabeth I in 1601. Later, in 1603, when the queen died, he became the physician of King James I. But, in the same year, William himself died most probably because of the plague epidemic that hit London. One of his works was left incomplete and unpublished. After his death, his work was continued by his brother. William’s brother edited two manuscripts and published them in the year 1651. The work was called De Mundo Nostro Sublunari Philosophia Nova which translates to ‘A New Philosophy of Our Sublunary World.’ In his work, William Gilbert laid down modern views and perceptions on the structure and working of the universe and the solar system. His work on terms like electric force, electric attraction, and magnetic pole assumes greater importance given that the only magnetic materials known were steel, magnetite, and iron.Read on to know more about his experiments involving magnetic effects and Earth’s magnetism. After reading about his work regarding magnetic attraction and the electrical and magnetic phenomena of a giant magnet, check out William Penn facts and Marie Curie facts.Fun Facts About William GilbertWilliam Gilbert is among the few scientists who can truly be considered great. His name is inscribed in gold among those who had the power to change the world with their contributions.William Gilbert was an English scientist who was genuinely passionate about doing something that served humanity or benefited it in some way. He coined the term electricity, one of the most common words. People often refer to him as the father of electric studies, electrical engineering, magnetism, and the father of electricity because he has made considerable contributions in all these fields. Gilbert was also a traveler and a writer with different kinds of publications.William Gilbert was not just a scientist but also an astronomer. He was very passionate about knowing the universe and its details. It is said that he used a telescope to examine the moon’s surface. Because of him, we came to understand that the craters on the moon are land areas, whereas the white patches are symbolic of the water bodies present there. Gilbert also concluded that the sky doesn’t move; it is actually the Earth that rotates.Facts About William Gilbert’s AccomplishmentsAs mentioned earlier, William Gilbert’s career began in 1573 when he was a physician in London. His masterwork Magnetique Corporibus, Magno Magnete, et de Magnete Tellure was published in 1600.His work was mainly focused on the magnetic effect on magnetic bodies and electrical attractions. He got his work inspiration from Robert Norman.His most significant contribution to science was that he explained how the Earth acted like a bar magnet, which was why the compass needle points northward in rest position. His predecessors concluded that this happens because a northern island exists that is magnetic and hence, attracts the compass needle. Gilbert discarded their theories, went in-depth into the notion, and figured out that the main reason lies in the core of the planet earth, composed of pure iron. William invented the first measuring instrument used in the measurement of electricity - an electroscope.Facts About William Gilbert’s EducationWilliam Gilbert was born in a well-to-do family. He studied at Cambridge University. He received three degrees from Cambridge University, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and MD. In 1600, when his famous works were published, he was made the president of the Royal College of Physicians.His most famous publication, ‘De Magnete,’ was accepted shortly after publication. The work was regarded as a standard in both electrical and magnetic phenomena all over Europe. Gilbert broadly classified the differences between static electricity and magnetism in his work. He also laid a strong philosophy about the analogous relation between a magnet and its polarity and the polarity of the planet Earth.According to the conclusions laid down by William Gilbert, magnetism was in the core of the Earth, just like its soul. According to him, if we align a perfectly spherical loadstone along the poles of the Earth, the Loadstone will start spinning on its axis just like the Earth spins, with the same period of rotation, that is, 24 hours. Gilbert’s prime concern was to debunk the beliefs and theories laid down by cosmologists, which suggested that the Earth was the fixed center of the universe.Only after Gilbert’s propositions, Galileo Galilei began his research and later concluded that our planet Earth revolves around the Sun.Facts About William Gilbert’s DiscoveriesIn his works, William Gilbert described various experiments performed on his model of the Earth, which is called the Terrell. From all these experiments and research, he concluded that the planet earth is magnetic in itself, which is the only reason why the compass rests in the North-South position.Other than the Northern island theory, some people also believed that this happened because of the Pole star that attracted the compass needle. Gilbert proved all these fake theories wrong. He was the first person who laid an argument with logic and experimentation that the core of the Earth is made up of pure iron. According to him, this was the prime property of the Earth that made it much more relatable to a magnet.He was the one who discovered that the stars that seem to be fixed in the night sky are not fixed, but they are so far away from the Earth that they look like a fixed point. He also stated that all the stars are not equally far away from the Earth; they are all at different variable distances.William Gilbert was the first to use the Latin form of the word electricity. He mentioned it as electricus, a Latin word that defined something that was ’like amber in its attractive properties.’ Later in 1646, Sir Thomas Browne coined the English word electricity derived from electricus. Gilbert also found out that some objects developed attractive properties if friction was created between them. He was unable to figure out that the property was common to all the materials in the universe, and it was because of the substance which was later discovered and named as electric charge.William Gilbert also tried to examine static electricity by using amber. In Greek, amber is called ‘Elektron’; therefore, he called the static affect the electric force. Gilbert also invented an electroscope which was developed in the shape of a needle that was pivoted. He called this pivoted magnetic needle the versorium.William Gilbert was not like others of his time. He had keen observation skills and was smart enough to understand that the magnetic properties to which the compass needle response are not because of any island or star but some built-in feature of the Earth.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for William Gilbert Facts: Education, Discoveries, And Much More, then why not take a look at William Blake facts or William Bradford facts?
Do you know that the unit of magnetomotive force known as a ‘Gilbert’ was named after William Gilbert?
