W.J.M. Rankine, 1820-1872: The Making of Engineering Science in Victorian Culture

William John Macquorn Rankine (1820-1872) was a nineteenth-century Scottish engineer and scientist who established engineering science as a separate academic discipline from practical engineering. This book explores his Scottish schooling, engineering apprenticeship in Ireland, early career as a railway and hydraulic engineer, emergence as a scientific voice, and career as a university professor in Glasgow. It places his formulation of thermodynamics in the context of Scottish common sense philosophy and heat engineering, examines his role as an advocate of energy and energetics, and demonstrates his collaboration with local captains of industry in power-engineering and shipbuilding to foster philosophical reform of commerce and industry.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 270 pages
\n Publication date: 01 January 2021
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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William John Macquorn Rankine (1820-1872) stands as a prominent figure in the annals of nineteenth-century science and engineering. In addition to his remarkable achievements as a railway and hydraulic engineer, Rankine played a pivotal role in establishing engineering science as a distinct academic discipline, distinct from practical engineering. This comprehensive book, the first full-length biography of Rankine, traces his early life in Edinburgh, his educational journey in Scotland, his engineering apprenticeship in Ireland, his early career as a railway and hydraulic engineer in the 1840s, his emergence as a distinctive scientific voice in the 1850s, and his tenure as a university professor in Glasgow. It contextualizes his unique formulation of thermodynamics within the framework of Scottish common sense philosophy and the demands of heat engineering. Furthermore, it explores his advocacy for the emerging science of energy and energetics during the 1850s and 1860s. Through his dual roles as a scientist and an engineer, the book showcases Rankine's collaboration with local captains of Scottish industry in the fields of power engineering and shipbuilding, contributing to the philosophical reform of commerce and industry that would serve as the foundation of Britain's imperial enterprise.

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Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780754650898\n \n