Erasto Mpemba
Encyclopedia
Erasto Barthlomeo Mpemba (born 1950) is a Tanzania
n scientist who observed what became known as the Mpemba effect
, whereby hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold water. This effect had been observed previously by Aristotle
, Francis Bacon
, and René Descartes
.
Mpemba made the discovery at the age of about thirteen in 1963 while making ice cream at Magamba Secondary School. When he showed his physics teacher this effect, the teacher refused to believe it was true. Instead, he called it not real physics, but "Mpemba's physics."
Later, Dr. Denis G. Osborne visited Mkwawa High School in Iringa
where Mpemba had moved and tried to settle the argument with an experiment, but the experiment showed the same result, the Mpemba effect, thus proving his physics teacher wrong. In 1969 Mpemba and Osborne published their results, while Mpemba was studying at the College of African Wildlife Management
near Moshi
.
Mpemba later became Principal Game Officer for the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and a member of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission
's working party on the management of wildlife and protected areas circa 2002.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
n scientist who observed what became known as the Mpemba effect
Mpemba effect
The Mpemba effect is the observation that warmer water sometimes freezes faster than colder water. Although the observation has been verified, there is no single scientific explanation for the effect.-Historical observations:...
, whereby hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold water. This effect had been observed previously by Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, and René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
.
Mpemba made the discovery at the age of about thirteen in 1963 while making ice cream at Magamba Secondary School. When he showed his physics teacher this effect, the teacher refused to believe it was true. Instead, he called it not real physics, but "Mpemba's physics."
Later, Dr. Denis G. Osborne visited Mkwawa High School in Iringa
Iringa
Iringa is a city in Tanzania with a population of 112,900 . It is situated at a latitude of 7.77°S and longitude of 35.69°E. The name is derived from the Hehe word lilinga, meaning fort....
where Mpemba had moved and tried to settle the argument with an experiment, but the experiment showed the same result, the Mpemba effect, thus proving his physics teacher wrong. In 1969 Mpemba and Osborne published their results, while Mpemba was studying at the College of African Wildlife Management
College of African Wildlife Management
The College of African Wildlife Management commonly known as Mweka College or just Mweka, is located near the Village of that name on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, above the city of Moshi, about 14 kilometres north of its centre.The locality also gives its name to the Mweka...
near Moshi
Moshi
Moshi is a Tanzanian town with a population of 144,739 in Kilimanjaro Region. The town is situated on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, a volcanic mountain that is the highest mountain in Africa....
.
Mpemba later became Principal Game Officer for the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and a member of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
's working party on the management of wildlife and protected areas circa 2002.