Robert Symmer, FRS (1707–1763) was a Scottish philosopher and physicist, known principally for the now defunct fluid theory of electricity.

Biography

Symmer was born in Galloway, Scotland and educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, matriculating in 1719 but not graduating until 1735. He published a four-part treatise in the '' Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' titled "New Experiments and Observations concerning Electricity". His paper suggested that

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

was not a single force, as was believed by, for example

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

and Giambatista Beccaria, but was instead two opposing forces arising from two separate liquids. He reported his observations on the

static electricity Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material or between materials. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge. Static electricity is na ...

resulting from repeatedly removing his woollen and silk stockings, a habit which led to him being called "Philosophe Déchaussé" (Barefoot Philosopher) in France. Although his theory was paid little attention in Britain, his views received more notice abroad. Scholars such as

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, Brugmans Anton or Torbern Bergman were supporters of his 'two-fluid' theory, considering him its originator. However, this idea was a revival of that of Charles du Fay, who in 1733 considered that electricity consisted of 'glass electricity' (''électricité vitreuse'') and 'resin electricity' (''électricité résineuse''). He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1753. He was appointed head clerk of the office of the Treasurer of the Chamber, dealing with the accounts of the King's Household.

Information

J. L. Heilbron: ''Robert Symmer and the Two Electricities'', in: ISIS, 1976, S. 7 ff.

J. L. Heilbron: ''Elements of early modern physics'', 1982
, S. 208, 270, 277
''New Experiments and Observations concerning Electricity'' (Wikimedia Commons)Full text
available at

JSTOR JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symmer, Robert 1707 births 1763 deaths Scottish philosophers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Natural philosophers Fellows of the Royal Society Scottish physicists People from Dumfries and Galloway Place of birth missing

Biography

See also

Information

References