CHAPTER VIII. 



Joule's Views accepted by Thomson, Rankine, and 

 CLAUSIUS. — Effect of Publication of Regnatdf s Researches. 

 — Thomson's First Paper on Mechanical Effect by Thermal 

 Agency. — Maintain 's Inconvertibility of Heat. — Note on 

 Joule's Views. — Conversion of Heat into Work Denied.— 

 Work into Heat Accepted. — Second Paper. — Greater 

 Deference. — Accepts Joide's Difficulties as to Carnofs 

 Axiom. — Thomsons Courage in Expressing his Doubts. — 

 Discovery of Dissipation of Energy. — Rankine' 's Hypotheti- 

 cal Theory of Heat. — Acknowledges Joules Hypothesis. — 

 Hypothetical Foundation Obscures General Laws. — Accepts 

 Joide's Views. — Criticises Joide's Experiments. — Apology 

 and Acceptance of Joide's Equivalent. — Joide suggests 

 the form of Carnot 's function. — Clausius Theory — Based 

 on Joule's and Carnofs discoveries — Contains Hypo- 

 theses. — Thomson s Third Paper — General Foundation 

 without HypotJieses — Entliusiastic Acceptance of All 

 Joule's Views. — Joide's Final Determination of the 

 Mechanical Equivalent. — Historic Sketch. — Cordial Re- 

 cognition of the Views and Work of his Predecessors 

 and Contemporaries. 



Besides Joule's exposition of the law of conservation of 

 that principle now called energy, and the meeting of 

 Joule with Sir William Thomson, at Oxford, another event 

 took place in 1847, which alone would serve to mark the 

 year as important in physical science. 



