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James Prescott Joule
(1818—1889) physicist
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(1818–89)
British physicist. In 1840 he discovered the relationship between electric current passing through a wire, its resistance, and the amount of heat produced. In 1849 he gave an account of the kinetic theory of gases, and a year later announced his best-known finding, the mechanical equivalent of heat. Later, with William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), he discovered the Joule-Thomson effect.
Subjects: Science and technology
