Robert+Hooke

Robert Hooke BrettI044
Astronomer, Scientist and Inventor 1635-1703



Early Life Robert Hooke was born on July 18, 1635 in the city of Freshwater, on the western coast of the Isle of Wight, the largest island of England. Robert had three siblings, one brother and two sisters. His father was a priest. There is not any information on his mother. As a young boy, he enjoyed mechanics and drawing. When he was young, he dismantled a brass clock and built a wooden copy and it worked very well. This was the beginning of his love for science.



Education and Career Robert attended the Westminster School in London where he studied Latin, Greek, and a little bit of Hebrew, along with mechanics that he studied all his life. One of the reasons Robert got into Westminster School was because his father homeschooled him very well, and he studied very hard.

In 1653, Robert worked as a chemical assistant to Dr. Thomas Willis and Robert Boyle, a philosopher. At Oxford, Robert developed his love for science. He became Curator of Experiments to the Royal Society.

Robert worked as an astronomer, a scientist and an inventor. He invented the microscope, and wrote a book of his findings from using microscopes and telescopes called __Micrographia__. He also invented a prototype of the respirator, a breathing machine, and he made a spinning reflecting telescope.

As an astronomer, he measured the distance to the star Gamma Draconis. He also studied Saturn and discovered one of the first double-star systems, Gamma Arietis.

As a scientist, one of Robert Hooke’s biggest accomplishments was when he discovered the law of elasticity. This is like when a rubber band gets twisted and stretched then reforms itself to its original form. Robert was known as a science virtuoso…someone who could contribute findings of importance in any field of science.



Robert Hooke died on March 3, 1703 in his room at Gresham College in London due to complications from diabetes.

Interesting Facts Some things you may not know about Robert Hooke are…he argued with Sir Isaac Newton on the laws of gravity, he helped rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666, and he never got married.

Citations

//Britannica School.// Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 23 Sep. 2013.

Wikipedia contributors. "Robert Hooke." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Sep. 2013. Web. 23 Sep. 2013.