James Prescott Joule was an English physicist, best known for establishing the relationship between

mechanical work and heat transfer. This study later led to discovery of the The Law of Conservation of
Energy which states that Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed; it can only be transferred from
one form to another. He was a creative and confident child, fascinated with heat and electricity from his
early years. Most of his knowledge regarding electricity and magnetism was self-taught through which he
created a mark for himself in scientific history. After years of research, he designed an experiment which
led to the discovery of the first law of thermodynamics, which is still considered one of the major
breakthroughs in field of heat transfer study. The S. I. unit for measuring energy, Joule, named after him,
highlights the significance of his contribution to physics and its various branches. Along with Lord Kelvin,
he also developed the absolute scale of temperature and discovered the Joule-Thomson effect.. Even
though he was a man of science, he had a religious and spiritual personality. He had an unparalleled
devotion towards natures beauty and the laws that govern it.
Career

In 1838, at the age of nineteen, he constructed an electro-magnetic engine.

In 1840, he worked on replacing the brewerys steam engines with newly invented electric motor
for scientific and economic purposes. He wanted to enhance the machines in his brewery for
achieving higher efficiency.
In 1841, he designed an experiment to establish the relation between current, resistance and
heat in a conductor. This relationship is known as Joules first law.
In 1845, he reported about the paddle wheel experiment which helped him understand the
concept of conservation of energy. He proposed that in the experiment, mechanical energy
converted into heat energy and this later led to the Law of Conservation of Energy.
In 1847, he met William Thompson during one of his presentations at British Association in
Oxford and collaborated with him to conduct several studies on thermal effects. They
discovered the Joule-Thomson effect and absolute scale of temperature.

Major Works

He studied the nature of heat, and discovered its relationship to mechanical work. This led to the
law of conservation of energy, which led to the development of the first law of thermodynamics.
He gave Joule's first law which gives the relationship between the passage of electric current
through a conductor and the amount of heat released. The law states - "the heat which is
evolved by the proper action of any voltaic current is proportional to the square of the intensity
of that current, multiplied by the resistance to conduction which it experiences."
His work with William Thompson led to the remarkable discovery known as the Joule-Thomson
effect. It describes the temperature change of a gas or liquid when it is forced through a valve
kept insulated so that no heat is exchanged with the environment.
He also worked on the absolute scale of temperature with William Thomson, also known as Lord
Kelvin.

Awards & Achievements

In 1852, He received the Royal Medal of the Royal Society for his published paper On the
Mechanical Equivalent of Heat.
In 1860, he was made the President of Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
He was the president of British Association for the Advancement of Science from 1872 to 1887.
In 1880, he received the Albert Medal of the Royal Society of Arts for establishing the relationship
between heat, electricity and mechanical work.
A memorial was built in the north choir of Westminster Abbey and a statue stands in Manchester
Town Hall in his commemoration.