INDUCTION IN S. CARNOT’S SCIENTIFIC MODELLING OF THERMODYNAMICS THEORY. INTERPRETATION OF HIS BASIC BOOK AND RIGOROUS RE-CONSTRUCTION OF THE THEORY 

ANTONINO DRAGO AND RAFFAELE PISANO

University of Pisa and University of Firenze; e-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Rome, “La Sapienza” This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

homepage:  http://www.historyofscience.it 

Abstract 

In previous works, we examined Réflexions sur la Puissance Motrice du Feu (in the paper Réflexions), the booklet (1824) by means of which S. Carnot (1796-1832) founded almost the entire thermodynamics theory....

     In previous works, we examined Réflexions sur la Puissance Motrice du Feu (in the paper Réflexions), the booklet (1824) by means of which S. Carnot (1796-1832) founded almost the entire thermodynamics theory; 25 years later, in order to achieve the modern the theory in William Thomson Kelvin’ (1824-1907) and Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius’ (1822-1888) version, had to reject the caloric hypothesis which had influenced few Carnot's arguments. Carnot’s theory represents a very interesting historical case-study of a scientific theory which was almost entirely built by one scientist. Who moreover devoted no more than two years for introducing himself in the field and then write the booklet. This historical instance of inductive thinking is even more interesting for one more reason: Sadi Carnot obtained his theory by arguing upon the engineers' practice about the most utilitarian tools, i.e. heat engines. Since almost a century the engineers have developed this practice without any leading scientific principle; at once Carnot extracted from this technological practice one of the most abstract physical theory. In the following, just few notes with regard a theoretical advancement of this our research.  

Info:

Drago A e Pisano R. 2006. “Note storiche sul superamento della teoria del calorico in Sadi Carnot”, XXV Congr. SISFA, in press