Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz was a Russian/German/Estonian physicist born in 1804 in Dorpat, Estonia (now Tartu, Estonia). He is best known for discovering Lenz's law, which states that a magnetic field induced by a changing electric current has a direction such that it tries to oppose the current's source of motion. Lenz also discovered Joule's law in 1842 regarding the relationship between heat produced by a current and the energy dependence of an ideal gas on pressure, volume, and temperature. Lenz graduated from the University of Tartu in 1823 with a degree in physics and later served as the Dean of Mathematics and Physics at the University of St. Petersburg from
2. Greatest Accomplishment- He discovered that a magnetic
field in a solenoid carrying an electric current will oppose the
current flow.
Someone once said about his findings- “To each phenomenon
of movement by electromagnetism, they must correspond an
electrodynamic distribution. Consequently it is only necessary
to produce motion through other means in order to induce a
current in the moveable conductor, which shall be opposed in
direction to that so produced in the induced conductor of the
electromagnetic tests,” (Stine 116) tooker
3. Nationality- Russian/German/Estonian
Personal Life and Family History- Mr. Lenz was born in Dorpat, Estonia now
know as Tartu. He was an energetic and intelligent man that always had a
precise experiment and every instrument he used was recorded. When he
graduated from University of Tartu he spent 3 years on an expedition around
the world with Otto Von Kotzebue studying climatic conditions and physical
properties of seawater. Though much is not known about Mr. Lenz, many
other scientist’s personal lives are also usually unknown to others.
Education and Positions held- He graduated from University of Tartu in 1823
with a degree in Physics. Later in life he began working at University of St.
Petersburg, Russia eventually serving as the Dean of Mathematics and
Physics 1840 - 1863. Then in 1863 he became the Rector of the University.
4. Contributions- He founded both the Joules Law in 1842
and Lenz Law in 1834. The Joules Law is heat produced
by a current and the energy dependence of an ideal gas
to that of pressure, volume, and temperature,
respectively. The Lenz law is understanding how
electromagnetic circuits must always obey Newton's
third law.
Awards- No awards given.
