- English inventor
and physicist who designed several scientific instruments, including
a very sensitive torsion balance used 1895 to determine
Isaac Newton's
gravitational constant and the mean density of the Earth.
Boys was born in Wing, Rutland, and studied at the Royal School of
Mines, London. For a time he was on the staff of the Royal College
of Science, London, then worked for the Metropolitan Gas Board 1897-39.
Boys elaborated on the Cavendish experiment to determine the gravitational
constant and the mean density of the Earth. In Boys's apparatus copper
wire was replaced by an extremely fine quartz fibre - made by firing
an arrow to the end of which was attached molten quartz.
Boys's other work included the invention of a 'radio-micrometer' 1890
to measure the heat radiated by the planets in the Solar System. He
also developed a special camera to record fast-moving objects such
as bullets and lightning flashes, and devised a calorimeter which
became the standard instrument used to measure the calorific value
of fuel gas in Britain. In addition, he performed a series of experiments
on soap bubbles, which increased knowledge of surface tension and
of the properties of thin films.
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