Charles Edouard Guillaume
Encyclopedia
Charles Édouard Guillaume (15 February 1861, Fleurier
, Switzerland
– 13 May 1938, Sèvres
, France
) was a Swiss physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1920 in recognition of the service he had rendered to precision measurements in physics
by his discovery of anomalies in nickel steel alloys.
Guillaume is known for his discovery of nickel-steel alloys he named invar
and elinvar
. Invar has a near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion, making it useful in constructing precision instruments whose dimensions need to remain constant in spite of varying temperature. Elinvar has a near-zero thermal coefficient of the modulus of elasticity, making it useful in constructing instruments with springs that need to be unaffected by varying temperature, such as the marine chronometer
. Elinvar is also non-magnetic, which is a secondary useful property for antimagnetic watch
es.
As the son of a Swiss horologist Guillaume took an interest in marine chronometers. For use as the compensation balance he developed a slight variation of the invar alloy which had a negative quadratic coefficient of expansion. The purpose of doing this was to eliminate the "middle temperature" error of the balance wheel.
Guillaume was head of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures
. He worked with Kristian Birkeland
, serving at the Observatoire de Paris—Section de Meudon. He conducted several experiment
s with thermostatic
measurements at the observatory
. He was the first to determine accurately the temperature of space.
Guillaume was married in 1888 to A.M. Taufflieb, with whom he had three children.
Fleurier
Fleurier was a municipality in the district of Val-de-Travers in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009, the former municipalities of Boveresse, Buttes, Couvet, Fleurier, Les Bayards, Môtiers, Noiraigue, Saint-Sulpice and Travers merged to form Val-de-Travers.The Nobel...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
– 13 May 1938, Sèvres
Sèvres
Sèvres is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.The town is known for its porcelain manufacture, the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, making the famous Sèvres porcelain, as well as being the location of the International Bureau of Weights...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was a Swiss physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
in 1920 in recognition of the service he had rendered to precision measurements in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
by his discovery of anomalies in nickel steel alloys.
Guillaume is known for his discovery of nickel-steel alloys he named invar
Invar
Invar, also known generically as FeNi36 , is a nickel steel alloy notable for its uniquely low coefficient of thermal expansion . The name, Invar, comes from the word invariable, referring to its lack of expansion or contraction with temperature changes.It was invented in 1896 by Swiss scientist...
and elinvar
Elinvar
Elinvar is a nickel steel alloy with a modulus of elasticity which does not change much with temperature changes. The name is a contraction of the French elasticité invariable. It was invented in the late 1890s by Charles Édouard Guillaume, a Swiss physicist who also invented Invar, another...
. Invar has a near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion, making it useful in constructing precision instruments whose dimensions need to remain constant in spite of varying temperature. Elinvar has a near-zero thermal coefficient of the modulus of elasticity, making it useful in constructing instruments with springs that need to be unaffected by varying temperature, such as the marine chronometer
Marine chronometer
A marine chronometer is a clock that is precise and accurate enough to be used as a portable time standard; it can therefore be used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation...
. Elinvar is also non-magnetic, which is a secondary useful property for antimagnetic watch
Antimagnetic watch
Anti-magnetic watches are those that are able to run with minimal deviation when exposed to a certain magnetic field. The International Organization for Standardization issued a standard for magnetic resistant watches, which many countries have adopted.-ISO 764 magnetic resistant watches...
es.
As the son of a Swiss horologist Guillaume took an interest in marine chronometers. For use as the compensation balance he developed a slight variation of the invar alloy which had a negative quadratic coefficient of expansion. The purpose of doing this was to eliminate the "middle temperature" error of the balance wheel.
Guillaume was head of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures
International Bureau of Weights and Measures
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures , is an international standards organisation, one of three such organisations established to maintain the International System of Units under the terms of the Metre Convention...
. He worked with Kristian Birkeland
Kristian Birkeland
Kristian Olaf Birkeland was a Norwegian scientist. He is best remembered as the person who first elucidated the nature of the Aurora borealis. In order to fund his research on the aurorae, he invented the electromagnetic cannon and the Birkeland-Eyde process of fixing nitrogen from the air...
, serving at the Observatoire de Paris—Section de Meudon. He conducted several experiment
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
s with thermostatic
Thermostatic
Thermostatic are a Swedish electronic band, formed in Gothenburg in 2003. Their music can be said to fall within the genre categories of bitpop and synthpop, with the band inspired by the "video games and computer era of the eighties."...
measurements at the observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
. He was the first to determine accurately the temperature of space.
Guillaume was married in 1888 to A.M. Taufflieb, with whom he had three children.