HENRY CAVENDISH: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Henry Cavendish (1731-1810) was a British physicist and chemist known for discoveries such as the composition of water or the calculation of the density of the Earth. Likewise, he was the first to obtain hydrogen and derived from his work the calculation of the gravitational constant.

Cavendish was born in Nice in 1731, a place where his parents were temporarily. He studied at Cambridge, although he did not get the degree for extra academic reasons. An inheritance received allowed him to fully focus on research, with no distractions other than weekly meetings at the Royal Society.

In addition to his talents as a scientist, Cavendish was known for his unconventional personality. He did not like personal contact with anyone, something that increased notably when it came to women. Her shyness, withdrawal and taste for solitude, have led many to think that she could have Asperger's.

This way of being caused that some of his discoveries were not made public until time after his death, with the result that other scientists had taken the credit that would have gone to Cavendish if he had published his work.

Biography

Henry Cavendish came to the world on October 10, 1731 in Nice, today in France and then belonging to the kingdom of Sardinia.

His parents, wealthy members of the English nobility, were there to try to alleviate the delicate state of health of Lady Ann Gray, mother of the future scientist. The woman died two years later.

Thanks to the good family position, the young Cavendish grew up with all the comforts. However, already at that time he began to show signs of his solitary character. According to his biographers, it was not only that he avoided dealing with others, but his rejection of human contact bordered on the sick.

According to the chroniclers, Henry was very withdrawn, deeply eccentric and quite misogynistic. Many think that he suffered from Asperger's syndrome, which would explain his way of being.

Cavendish remained single his entire life. His uncle, George Cavendish, he only saw for a few minutes each year. His dislike of women was such that he communicated with the servants through written notes, threatening to fire anyone who appeared in front of him.

Studies

The Newcombe School in Hackney was the chosen place for Cavendish to begin his studies when he was 11 years old. When that stage ended, in 1749, he enrolled at the Peterhouse, Cambridge University,

According to his teachers, he was a diligent student, although weighed down by his shyness. He barely spoke and seemed to be always locked in his world.

That was not, however, the reason why he failed to graduate from Cambridge. Cavendish refused to participate in the religious services that took place in the university, something that was obligatory. Thus, at the end of his years of study in 1753, they did not agree to give him the title.

After this, Cavendish went to Paris for a time, where he expanded his knowledge in physics and mathematics.

Interest in science

Upon his return to England, Cavendish continued to delve into the scientific subjects that interested him. His father, fond of science, played an important role in his son's future, as he used to take him to the experiments that were developed at the Royal Society. In addition, he had a private laboratory built for his son.

When Cavendish's father passed away, he began to work closely with Charles Blagden, who was also charged with keeping the world away from the scientist.

Adult life

Cavendish's way of life was always very austere. Until he was forty years old, he lived on a small income that his father gave him. This changed when, in 1773, he inherited a considerable sum from his uncle, Lord George Cavendish.

In total, he received over a million pounds, making him one of the great millionaires of his time. A fellow scientist, the Frenchman Baptiste Biot, claimed that Cavendish was "the richest of all the sages, and quite possibly the wisest of all the rich."

Despite his newfound wealth, Cavendish did not change his way of life. All sources claim that he had no interest in money and his only considerable expense was scientific material and books on physics and chemistry.

His library grew so large that he had to install it in a separate house, opening it to a select group of colleagues.

Royal Society

Nor did his personality change at all. His only occupation was scientific research, which he carried out in his own London home. He only had some social relations in the sessions of the Royal Society, where he presented his discoveries.

At that institution, a dinner was held every week in which scientists shared their findings. Despite being among equals, Cavendish maintained his shyness on almost every occasion. The rest of the attendees were aware of his peculiarities, so they used to leave him alone.

His biographers claim that a strategy had been propagated by the Royal Society to deal with it: to walk by his side casually and to speak as if they were heading into a void.

Apparently, if what was said sounded interesting, Cavendish could respond with a whisper. Otherwise, the interlocutor would only receive a shriek and soon he saw that Cavendish would go towards the quietest corner of the room.

His work, however, earned him some recognition among researchers. Thus, in 1773, Cavendish was elected a member of the Society of Antiquaries as well as a trustee of the British Museum. Later, in 1803, the Institut de France admitted him into its ranks.

Death

Henry Cavendish died on February 24, 1810 at his home in the City of London. He was 78 years old and left an important scientific legacy and a millionaire inheritance.

Proof of his way of being is the story about the day of his death. It seems that, sensing his end, Cavendish ordered his servant that no one should approach him until nightfall. The servant, concerned for his boss, alerted one of his few friends, Sir Everard, who rushed to the house.

There he found the dying scientist, but with the same character. Despite his condition, he told her that it was useless for him to be there, since he was dying and it was not going to do him any good.

In addition, he condemned the servant for having warned him and commented that, at almost 80 years of age, any prolongation of his life would only make his miseries grow.

His friend insisted on staying with him all night, until Cavendish expired at dawn.

Contributions

Apparatus for obtaining hydrogen. Source: Henry Cavendish, undefined

Henry Cavendish's contributions to science were very important for his time. The main ones focused on research into the chemistry of air and water, as well as the density of the Earth. According to experts, they stand out for the great accuracy of their calculations.

His already mentioned lack of interest in social relationships made the recognition received more limited than it deserved.

In the late nineteenth century, reviewing his writings, it was found that he had made discoveries about electricity that no one had known about. This caused other scientists to take the credit that would have been due.

Obtaining hydrogen

In 1766, Cavendish conducted some experiments using strong acids (those that decompose on contact with an aqueous solution) and some metals.

As a result of these investigations, he obtained hydrogen for the first time, an element that the scientist called phlogiston ("flammable air"). Equally, he discovered that the lighter gas.

Later, in 1781, he realized that if hydrogen was burned in a closed container, the walls would be covered with water. This allowed him to affirm that the item had several components, something unknown until that time.

Likewise, he investigated the atmospheric composition. His results were very similar to those obtained today with more advanced means. Thus, he discovered the presence of carbon dioxide and anticipated the discovery of noble gases by almost a century.

Cavendish experiment: Earth's density

His well-known "Cavendish Experiment" allowed him to calculate the mass of the Earth and led to the discovery of the value of universal gravity.

Cavendish published his results in 1789, in his work "Experiments to determine the density of the Earth." The data provided by the scientist was that the planet's density was 5.45 times greater than the density of water, which is very close to current measurements.

The researcher also determined the density of the atmosphere and showed experimentally that Newton's law of gravity was true for any pair of bodies.

Electricity

Although his works did not come to light until a century later, Cavendish made important discoveries in the field of electricity. Among them, the law of attraction between electric charges and the concept of electric power.

Proof of the difficulty of making these discoveries in the time in which the scientist lived, is the way in which he had to measure electric current.

Since there were no suitable instruments, Cavendish would connect the cables to his body and undergo graduated shocks, calculating the intensity according to the pain he felt.

References

1. EcuRed. Henry Cavendish. Obtained from ecured.cu
2. Martínez Medina, Nuria. Henry Cavendish and the constant of universal gravitation. Obtained from rtve.es
3. Eulises Ortiz, Angel. Henry Cavendish, biography, who he is, who he was, contributions, what he did, chemistry, physics, hydrogen. Retrieved from historia.pcweb.info
4. Levere, Trevor H. Henry Cavendish. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Famous Scientits. Henry Cavendish. Retrieved from famousscientists.org
6. Corrosion Doctors. Henry Cavendish (1731–1810). Retrieved from corrosion-doctors.org
7. Scratch, Lydia S. Henry Cavendish. Retrieved from chemistryexplained.com