The life & science of Lord Kelvin

BRLSI is continuing its series of bicentenary talks with a look at the life of William Thomson, Lord Kelvin – one of the giants of nineteenth century physics.

Lord Kelvin was born in 1824 in Belfast and was largely self-taught by hearing lectures given by his father. His many contributions to science and engineering included his work on the science of energy, and his studies on heat, leading to the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature. He was involved in the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable and made an important contribution to determining the age of the earth. 

Dr Peter Ford will reveal more about the life of this eminent physicist, who was the first scientist to enter the House of Lords and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Dr Peter Ford MBE is a BRLSI member and worked for twenty years in the Physics Department, University of Bath. He was a shadow trustee of the reformed BRLSI from 1990-1993 and one of the first trustees representing the University. Peter was chair of the William Herschel Society for nine years and in 2008 was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to higher education and science.