Robert Hooke

August 4, 2003 9:36 AM

Robert Hooke. ''Robert Hooke is one of the most neglected natural philosophers of all time. The inventor of, amongst other things, the iris diaphragm in cameras, the universal joint used in motor vehicles, the balance wheel in a watch, the originator of the word 'cell' in biology, he was Surveyor of the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666, architect, experimenter, worked in astronomy - yet is known mostly for Hooke's Law ... '
More at Robert Hooke's Micrographia: a digital facsimile. 'In it we are introduced to the living cell; to microscopic fungi and the life story of the mosquito; we find the two contrasting theories about the origin of the lunar craters posed for the very first time ... '
posted by plep (4 comments total)

The moral of Hooke's story: don't piss off Isaac Newton.
posted by riviera at 11:01 AM on August 4, 2003

Fantastic!

And your timing is impeccable. I recently got interested in researching Robert Hooke on discovering he'll be featured as a character in Neal Stephenson's 'Quicksilver', the upcoming prequel to 1999's 'Cryptonomicon'.
posted by eyebeam at 2:02 PM on August 4, 2003

Awesome.
posted by jokeefe at 2:16 PM on August 4, 2003

just to explain why he's mostly known for hooke's law. Hooke's law is that classic experiment from physics class were you relate the displacement of a spring to the force being placed on it. It also happens to be a pretty major basis for most (well, elastic) structural engineering and mechanical engineering. and therefore HOOKE'S LAW ROCKS!!!
posted by NGnerd at 8:52 PM on August 4, 2003