Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Public Experiments and their Analysis with the Replication Method

  • Published:
Science & Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

One of those who failed to establish himself as a natural philosopher in 18th century Paris was the future revolutionary Jean Paul Marat. He did not only publish several monographs on heat, optics and electricity in which he attempted to characterise his work as being purely empirical but he also tried to establish himself as a public lecturer. From the analysis of his experiments using the replication method it became obvious that the written description is missing several relevant aspects of the experiments. In my paper, I am going to discuss the experiences made in analysing these experiments and will suggest possible relations between these publications and the public demonstrations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, G.: 1794, Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, R. Hindmarsh, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, J.A.: 1989, ‘A Viol of Water or a Wedge of Glass’, in D. Gooding, T. Pinch and S. Schaffer (eds.), The Uses of Experiment, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 105–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, J., Lemaire, J.-F. & Poirier, J.-P.: 1993, Marat Homme de Science?, Les empecheurs de Penser en Rond, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conner, C.D.: 1997, Jean Paul Marat: Scientist and Revolutionary, Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coquard, O.: 1993, Jean-Paul Marat, Fayard, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hankins, T.L. & Silverman, R.J.: 1995, Instruments and the Imagination, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackmann, W.D.: 1989, ‘Scientific Instruments: Models of Brass and Aids to Discovery’, in D. Gooding, T. Pinch and S. Schaffer (eds.), The Uses of Experiment., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 31–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heering, P.: 2002, ‘Analysing Experiments with Two Non-canonical Devices: Jean Paul Marat’s Helioscope and Perméomètre’, Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 74, 8–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heering, P.: 2005, ‘Das unterhaltsamste aller Mikroskope: Projektionen mit dem Sonnenmi-kroskop’, Mikrokosmos 94, 331–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hochadel, O.: 2003, Öffentliche Wissenschaft: Elektrizität in der deutschen Aufklärung, Wallstein, GÖttingen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlreif, G.A.: 1787, Sollte die Elektricität wirklich Wärme verursachen; und sollte diese Wärme eine Wirkung der Zersetzung des Elementarfeuers und Phlogiston s seyn, Hofman-nische Hof-Buchhandlung, Weimar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynn, M. R.: 1997, Enlightenment in the Republic of Science: The Popularisation of Natural Philosophy in Eighteenth-Century Paris, PhD Thesis, Madison, University of Wisconsin, UMI 97261

    Google Scholar 

  • Marat, J.P.: 1779, Découvertes sur le Feu, VElectricité et la Lumière, constatées par une Suite d’Expériences nouvelles qui viennent d’être vérifiées par MM. les Commissaires de VAcadémie des Sciences, 2nd edn, Clousier, Pari

    Google Scholar 

  • Marat, J.P.: 1780a, Découvertes sur la Lumière; constatées par une suite d’expériences nouvelles: qui ont faites un très-grand nombre de fois sous les yeux de MM. les Commissaires de VAcadémie des Sciences, Jombert, London & Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marat, J.P.: 1780b, Recherches Physiques sur le Feu, Jombert, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marat, J.P.: 1782, Recherches Physiques sur Vélectricité, Clousier, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pilatre de Rozier, J.F.: 1786, La Vie et les Mémoires de Pilatre de Rozier: écrits par lui-même; & publiés par M. T., Belin, Bailly, Mérigot, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz, E. H.: 1982, Handbuch der Geschichte der Optik: Von Newton bis Fraunhofer. Bonn.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz, E. H.: 1989, Handbuch der Geschichte der Optik: Das Mikrosko 2. Ergänzungsband, Teil A, Bonn.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiéry, L.-V.: 1786/7, Guide des Amateurs et des Etrangers voyageurs a Paris: Description raisonnée de cette Ville & de tout ce quelle contient de remarquable, Vol. 2, Hardouin & Gattey, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vellay, C. (ed.): 1908, La Correspondance de Marat, Charpentier et Fasquelle, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woltzen, S.: 2000, Jean Paul Marats Experimente zur Farbentstehung: Nachbau einiger Instrumente, Nachvollzug ausgewählter Experimente und physikalische Diskussion, unpublished thesis, Oldenburg.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Physics Education/History and Philosophy of Science, Oldenburg, 26111, Germany

    Peter Heering

Authors
  1. Peter Heering
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Heering.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Heering, P. Public Experiments and their Analysis with the Replication Method. Sci Educ 16, 637–645 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-006-9013-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-006-9013-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation