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https://exhibits.library.illinois.edu/s/rbml/item/3928
- Title
- Treatise on natural philosophy
- Description
- Buffon’s initial method of age determination was continued and refined in the 19th century by William Thompson (Lord Kelvin). Kelvin used the same basic approach and set of assumptions, albeit with more sophisticated heat loss calculations, to arrive at an initial estimate of 100 million for the age of the Earth, which he later whittled down to 20 million years. This case shows an excerpt from Kelvin’s Treatise on Natural Philosophy (1867) that explain his method and contains various calculations for the age of the Earth that range between 20 and 100 million years. Most geologists of this time, from their observations of actual causes, suspected that this age was too young, but lacked the convincing evidence necessary to counter Kelvin’s estimate. As such, the range of 20-100 million years became a widely accepted, yet debated, age for the Earth in the late 19th century.
- Call Number (click link to view in library catalog)
- 531 K29t
- See Also
- Full Text Available at HathiTrust
- Authors
- Kelvin, William Thomson.
- Full Title
- Treatise on natural philosophy
- Date
- 1867
- From the Exhibit
- In Search of Lost Time: Earth’s Chronology
- Series
- Clarendon Press series
- Publisher
- Claredon Press
- Location
- Oxford
- Language
- English
- Rights
-
This item is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reproduction and publication policies are available here: https://www.library.illinois.edu/rbx/collections/reproduction-services/. The library welcomes requests for reproductions made from works in our collections, though restrictions may apply to certain materials. Please contact the library with any questions at askacurator@illinois.edu. - Type
- Text
- Medium
- Book
- Bibliographic Citation
- Kelvin, William Thomson, Baron. Treatise on Natural Philosophy. Vol. 1. Oxford: Claredon Press, 1867.