John Howard Wurts, Notes of Lectures on Natural Philosophy
1857-1858
(1 vol., 323p.)

504 W95

© American Philosophical Society
105 South Fifth Street * Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
 American Philosophical Society 105 South Fifth Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
Table of contents Abstract
As a junior and senior at Princeton in 1857-1858, John Howard Wurts was enrolled in the two semester sequence of courses on natural philosophy taught by the astronomer Stephen Alexander. The polished version of Wurts' lecture notes provide a detailed record of Alexander's presentation of both statics and the applications of statics, including thebasic principles of natural philosophy, the physical properties of matter, forces, and methodology. The notes are illustrated throughout with finely rendered pencil and ink drawings of physical apparatus and experiments.
Background note
Measuring the contractile force in a soap bubble (p.154)
Measuring the contractile force in a soap bubble (p.154)

The son of William Wurts and his second wife, Elizabeth (Tate) of Flanders, N.J. , John Howard Wurts was born May 22, 1838. After preparatory work at the Edgehill School in Philadelphia, he entered Princeton as a sophomore for the fall term 1855, and went on to receive his A.B. in 1858 with First Honors and giving the Latin Salutory, followed by his A.M. in 1861. Although he entered into the study of law with George W. Biddle in Philadelphia, Wurts's intentions were cut short by illness. He died in Havana, Cuba, on May 4, 1862.

A cousin and brother-in-law of Joseph Henry, Stephen Alexander followed Henry to Princeton, rising from tutor in mathematics in 1833 to Professor of Astronomy in 1840, and retaining a connection with the university until the end of his life in 1883. Alexander gave Princeton's first course in astronomy and was the prime mover behind the construction of the university's first observatory. A founding member of the National Academy of Sciences and president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Alexander's .


Scope and content
The John Howard Wurts lecture notes record two terms of lectures on natural philosophy given by the astronomer Stephen Alexander at Princeton in 1857. The course breaks into two parts, lectures on statics, delivered in the second term, 1857, when Wurts was a junior, and lectures on the applications of statics, delivered during Wurts' first term as a senior in the fall 1857. A note indicates that the lectures were recopied by Wurts in January 1858, and were presumably submitted for Alexander's approval.

Wurts' lecture notes are illustrated throughout with some accomplished pencil and ink sketches of scientific apparatus.

Administrative information
Restrictions
None.

Provenance
Gift of Peter Stephen Duponceau, January 19, 1827.

Preferred citation
Cite as: John Howard Wurts, Notes of Lectures on Natural Philosophy, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information
Acquired, 1970.

Additional information
Related material
The Lecture Notes Collection (AC #052) at the Seeley G. Mudd Library, Princeton University, includes notes on natural philosophy by John Maclean, Jr., 1857, and George Gray, which correspond to Wurts's. Gray's notes explicitly identify the lecturer as Stephen Alexander.

Statics
Introduction 1
Lecture II Science 10
Lecture III Induction, deduction; natural philosophy 18
Lecture IV General properties of ponderable matter 28
Lecture V Instrumentation (sketches) 37
Lecture VI Properties of matter 48
Lecture VII Properties, liquids, gases, glasses 53
Lecture VIII Comrpessibility, dilatability 61
Lecture IX Heat and its measurement 69
Lecture X Mobility and motion, force 82
Lecture XI Motion, velocity, inertia 88
Lecture XII Physical forces, attraction, repulsion, gravitation 97
Lecture XIII Gravitation, weight 103
Lecture XIV Gravitation, specific gravity 112
Lecture XV Length and its measurement; molecular forces, material strength, tenacity 118
Lecture XVI Cohesion and adhesion 129
Lecture XVII Repulsion and attraction, molecular forces, capillary attraction 134
Lecture XVIII Capillary forces, contractile forces 147
Lecture XIX Chemical affinity, atomic theory 159
Lecture XX Molecular constitution of matter 169
Lecture XXI Molecular constitution of matter (cont.), gases 185
Lecture XXII Elasticity, torsion, brittleness, pliability 197
Lectures on Motion September 16, [1857]
Lecture I Laws of motion, inertia, illustrations, momentum 206
Lecture II Momentum (cont.), reaction 218
Lectures on the applications of statics Oct 22-Dec 3, 1857, written in Jan. 1858
Lecture III Application of force, power 229
Lecture II Funicular force 236
Lecture III Levers 242
Lecture IV Levers, wheel and axle, pulleys 253
Lecture VI Cogs, pulleys 262
Lecture VII Inclined planes, screws, wedges 271
Lecture VIII Wedges, strength and resistance of materials 287
Lecture IX Ratchets, dynamic forces, power 304
Lecture X Friction 310
Lecture XI Springs; mechanical devices in the human frame 317

Added entries
Subjects
  • Natural Philosophy--Study and teaching
  • Physics--Study and teaching--19th century
  • Princeton University
  • Scientific apparatus and instruments

    • Contributors
  • Alexander, Stephen, 1806-1883
  • Wurts, John Howard, 1838-1862

    • Genre terms
  • Lecture notes

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    Contact information
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