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George Sinclair (mathematician)
George Sinclair (Sinclar) (ca.1630–1696) was a Scottish mathematician, engineer and demonologist. The first Professor of Mathematics at the University of Glasgow, he is known for ''Satan's Invisible World Discovered'', (c. 1685), a work on witchcraft, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena. He wrote in all three areas of his interests, including an account of the "Glenluce Devil", a poltergeist case from , in a 1672 book mainly on hydrostatics but also a pioneering study of geological structures through his experience in coal mines. Life Sinclair was most likely from the East Lothian area, around Haddington. He studied at the University of St Andrews between the years 1645 and 1646, but moved to complete his studies at the University of Edinburgh obtaining a Master of Arts degree from there in 1649. He became a professor at the University of Glasgow, on 18 April 1654, initially in a philosophy chair, then moved to a chair founded for mathematics. He helped to fund the bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of University of Oxford, Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world. St Andrews was founded in 1413 when the Avignon Pope, Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII issued a papal bull to a small founding group of Augustinians, Augustinian clergy. Along with the universities of University of Glasgow, Glasgow, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, and University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, St Andrews was part of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century. St Andrews is made up of a variety of institutions, comprising three colleges — United College, St Andrews, United College (a union of St Salvator's and St Leonard's Colleges), St Mary's College, St Andrew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diving Bell
A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work. The most common types are the open-bottomed wet bell and the closed bell, which can maintain an internal pressure greater than the external ambient. Diving bells are usually suspended by a cable, and lifted and lowered by a winch from a surface support platform. Unlike a submersible, the diving bell is not designed to move under the control of its occupants, or to operate independently of its launch and recovery system. The wet bell is a structure with an airtight chamber which is open to the water at the bottom, that is lowered underwater to operate as a base or a means of transport for a small number of divers. Air is trapped inside the bell by Hydrostatic pressure, pressure of the water at the interface. These were the first type of diving chamber, and are still in use in modified form. The closed bell is a pressur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Frost (writer)
Thomas Frost (16 December 1821 – 16 July 1908) was an English writer, journalist, lecturer, printer and Chartist.Peter Gurney, Frost, Thomas (1821–1908), ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', online edn, Oxford University Press, Oct 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2010. Early years Thomas Frost was born in Croydon in Surrey (now part of Greater London) on 16 December 1821, the son of a tailor who had read William Cobbett's ''Political Register'' and took part in the agitation to secure the Reform Act 1832. Apprenticed to a printer (his cousin Cornelius Chapman) in Norwood, London, Thomas started his own printing firm in the same town after Chapman's business became bankrupt.Frost, Thomas. ''Reminiscences of a Country Journalist''. Covent Garden: Ward and Downey, 1888 Career In 1846 he took over the publication of John Goodwyn Barmby's ''Communist Chronicle,'' a monthly paper which had been discontinued for financial reasons. Frost revived the Chronicle as a weekly publica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoax
A hoax (plural: hoaxes) is a widely publicised falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information, with the either malicious or humorous intent of causing shock and interest in as many people as possible. Some hoaxers intend to eventually unmask their representations as having been a hoax so as to expose their victims as fools; seeking some form of profit, other hoaxers hope to maintain the hoax indefinitely, so that it is only when skeptical people willing to investigate their claims publish their findings, that the hoaxers are finally revealed as such. History Zhang Yingyu's '' The Book of Swindles'' ( 1617), published during the late Ming dynasty, is said to be China's first collection of stories about fraud, swindles, hoaxes, and other forms of deception. Although practical jokes have likely existed for thousands of years, one of the earliest recorded hoaxes in Western history was the drummer of Tedworth in 1661. The communication of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warp And Woof
In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizontal ''weft'' (also called the ''woof'') is drawn through (inserted over and under) the warp thread. In the terminology of weaving, each warp thread is called a ''warp end''; a ''pick'' is a single weft thread that crosses the warp thread (synonymous terms are ''fill yarn'' and ''filling yarn'').Burnham (1980), pp. 170, 179Barber (1991), p. 79. In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution facilitated the industrialisation of the production of textile fabrics with the "picking stick" and the " flying shuttle", the latter of which was invented by John Kay, in 1733. The mechanised power loom was patented by Edmund Cartwright in 1785, which allowed sixty picks per minute. Etymology The word ''weft'' derives from the Old English word , to weave. ''Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glenluce
Glenluce () is a small village in the parish of Old Luce in Wigtownshire, Scotland. It contains a village shop, a caravan park and a town hall, as well as the parish church. Location Glenluce on the A75 road between Stranraer () and Newton Stewart (). It's south of Glasgow, west of Dumfries and south west of Edinburgh. The Church The Parish Church of Glenluce, with the two chapels, was vested by the king in 1587. In 1646 the parish of Glenluce was split in two to form Old Luce Parish Church and New Luce Parish Church. However, in 2016 the parishes churches were reunited to form Luce Valley Church, which covers Auchenmalg, Dunragit, Glenluce and New Luce, as well as the surrounding area. They meet at 11am every Sunday in the church in Glenluce and the current minister is Rev Stephen Ogston. Castle of Park The Castle of Park is an L-plan tower house near the village. It was built in 1596 by Thomas Hay, upon the lands given to him by his father, who was the last abbot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pneumatics
Pneumatics (from Greek 'wind, breath') is the use of gas or pressurized air in mechanical systems. Pneumatic systems used in industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located and electrically-powered compressor powers cylinders, air motors, pneumatic actuators, and other pneumatic devices. A pneumatic system controlled through manual or automatic solenoid valves is selected when it provides a lower cost, more flexible, or safer alternative to electric motors, and hydraulic actuators. Pneumatics also has applications in dentistry, construction, mining, and other areas. History Although the early history of pneumatics is somewhat unclear, blowguns are often considered the earliest pneumatic device, being created independently by various indigenous groups around the world. Bellows are an early form of air compressor used primarily for smelting and forging. Ctesibius of Alexandria is often considered the father of pneum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siphon
A siphon (; also spelled syphon) is any of a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. In a narrower sense, the word refers particularly to a tube in an inverted "U" shape, which causes a liquid to flow upward, above the surface of a reservoir, with no pump, but powered by the fall of the liquid as it flows down the tube under the pull of gravity, then discharging at a level lower than the surface of the reservoir from which it came. There are two leading theories about how siphons cause liquid to flow uphill, against gravity, without being pumped, and powered only by gravity. The traditional theory for centuries was that gravity pulling the liquid down on the exit side of the siphon resulted in reduced pressure at the top of the siphon. Then atmospheric pressure was able to push the liquid from the upper reservoir, up into the reduced pressure at the top of the siphon, like in a barometer or drinking straw, and then over. However, it has been demo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perpetual Motion
Perpetual motion is the motion of bodies that continues forever in an unperturbed system. A perpetual motion machine is a hypothetical machine that can do work indefinitely without an external energy source. This kind of machine is impossible, since its existence would violate the first law of thermodynamics, first and/or second law of thermodynamics, second laws of thermodynamics. These laws of thermodynamics apply regardless of the size of the system. Thus, machines that extract energy from finite sources cannot operate indefinitely because they are driven by the energy stored in the source, which will eventually be exhausted. A common example is devices powered by ocean currents, whose energy is ultimately derived from the Sun, which itself will eventually End of the Sun, burn out. In 2016, new states of matter, time crystals, were discovered in which, on a microscopic scale, the component atoms are in continual repetitive motion, thus satisfying the literal definition of " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comiston
Comiston (, IPA: �paleˈxaɫ̪ɯim is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south of Morningside and west of the Braid Hills, linking the suburbs of Oxgangs and Fairmilehead. The main road through the area, Comiston Road, is a continuation of Morningside Road, and further south becomes Biggar Road. It is classified as the A702 which runs eventually to Biggar. A part of Comiston Road has signage as Pentland Terrace, the name of a terrace of Victorian houses set back from, and above Comiston Road, with a roadway of its own immediately in front of the houses. Comiston House was owned by the Forrest baronets. Sir James Forrest, 1st Baronet, Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of ..., occupied it from 1837 to 1843. Its groun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Hope Of Hopetoun
Sir James Hope of Hopetoun (1614–1661) was a Scottish lawyer, industrialist and politician. Life The sixth son of Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall, Fife, Scotland, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Binning or Bennet of Wallyford, Haddingtonshire, he was born on 12 July 1614. From February 1636 to October 1637 he studied law in France. After his first marriage in 1638 he devoted himself to the working of the lead mines on his lands at Leadhills. In 1642 Hope was appointed general of the cunzie-house, an office with both a civil and a criminal jurisdiction. On the death of his brother, Sir Thomas Hope of Kerse, a lord of session, on 23 August 1643, his friends made a vain attempt to get him named as successor, the enactment of the Act of Classes, disqualifying from office anyone directly or indirectly accessory to the "Engagement" with England. In January 1646, Hope went to London and borrowed money from Robert Inglis and his Dutch agent, Anthonis Tierens, for a study trip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
