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William Gilbert (/ ˈ ɡ ɪ l b ər t /; 24 May 1544? – 30 November 1603), [1] also known as Gilberd, [2] was an English physician, physicist and natural philosopher. He passionately rejected both the prevailing Aristotelian philosophy and the Scholastic method of university teaching.
Title page of 1628 edition. De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (On the Magnet and Magnetic Bodies, and on That Great Magnet the Earth) is a scientific work published in 1600 by the English physician and scientist William Gilbert.
1600 – William Gilbert publishes De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure ("On the Magnet and Magnetic bodies, and on that Great Magnet the Earth"), Europe's then current standard on electricity and magnetism. He experimented with and noted the different character of electrical and magnetic forces.
Gilbert used the versorium to test whether different materials were "elektrics" (insulators, in modern terms) or non-"elektrics" . While he didn't devise a theory to explain his findings, it was a good example of how science was starting to change by incorporating empirical studies at the dawn of the Age of Reason . [ 4 ]
Ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus described static electricity by rubbing fur on substances such as amber. 1600: English scientist William Gilbert coined the word electricus after careful experiments. He also explained the magnetism of Earth. 1660: German scientist Otto von Guericke invented a device that creates static electricity ...
The first electroscope was a pivoted needle (called the versorium), invented by British physician William Gilbert around 1600. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The pith-ball electroscope and the gold-leaf electroscope are two classical types of electroscope [ 2 ] that are still used in physics education to demonstrate the principles of electrostatics .
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Electricity has been a subject of scientific interest since at least the early 17th century. William Gilbert was a prominent early electrical scientist, and was the first to draw a clear distinction between magnetism and static electricity. He is credited with establishing the term "electricity". [1]