Treatise on natural philosophy

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https://omeka-s.library.illinois.edu/s/rbml/item/3928
Title
Treatise on natural philosophy
Description
Buffon’s initial method of age determination was continued and refined in the 19th century by William Thompson (Lord Kelvin). Kelvin used the same basic approach and set of assumptions, albeit with more sophisticated heat loss calculations, to arrive at an initial estimate of 100 million for the age of the Earth, which he later whittled down to 20 million years. This case shows an excerpt from Kelvin’s Treatise on Natural Philosophy (1867) that explain his method and contains various calculations for the age of the Earth that range between 20 and 100 million years. Most geologists of this time, from their observations of actual causes, suspected that this age was too young, but lacked the convincing evidence necessary to counter Kelvin’s estimate. As such, the range of 20-100 million years became a widely accepted, yet debated, age for the Earth in the late 19th century.
Call Number (click link to view in library catalog)
531 K29t
Authors
Kelvin, William Thomson.
Full Title
Treatise on natural philosophy
Date
1867
Series
Clarendon Press series
Publisher
Claredon Press
Location
Oxford
Language
English
Rights
This item is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.
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Type
Text
Medium
Book
Bibliographic Citation
Kelvin, William Thomson, Baron. Treatise on Natural Philosophy. Vol. 1. Oxford: Claredon Press, 1867.