Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy

Young William Thomson was a prodigy. At the age of 16, he published his first technical paper on heat flow--a subject that he would revolutionize. This young man would become best known as Lord Kelvin; today the name Kelvin describes a temperature scale. In fact, Kelvin's fame came quickly during his early years, as he made major findings in thermodynamics and electromagnetism. In this biography, Lindley explains how Kelvin turned his scientific aptitude into a lucrative career Among his accomplishments are the perfecting of transatlantic telegraphy and the invention of a compass that operated …