Rikhman, Georg Vilgelm

Rikhman, Georg Vil’gel’m 

(Georg Wilhelm Richmann). Born July 11 (22), 1711, in Pärnu, in what is now the Estonian SSR; died July 26 (Aug. 6), 1753, in St. Petersburg. Russian physicist.

Rikhman studied at the universities of Halle and Jena. From 1735 to 1740 he was a student of the “physics class” of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In 1740 he became an adjunct and in 1741 a professor, or academician, of the Academy of Sciences. He was appointed head of the physics section of the Academy of Sciences in 1744.

Rikhman’s most important works dealt with calorimetry and electricity. He derived a formula (named after him) for the determination of the temperature of a mixture of homogeneous fluids that have different temperatures. He also conducted experiments on heat exchange and the evaporation of liquids under various conditions. The first working model of an electrometer with a scale was developed by him. Rikhman died while conducting experiments with atmospheric electricity.

WORKS

Trudy po fizike. Moscow, 1956.

REFERENCE

Dorfman, la. G. “Vydaiushchiisia russkii fizik G. V. Rikhman i ego rol’ v istorii nauki ob elektrichestve.” Elektrichestvo, 1953, no. 8. pp. 61-67.