What was Lomonosov's theory of heat?
My theory of heat, detailed in *On the Relation of Heat and Congelation of Bodies* (1747), posits that heat is not a substance like the phlogistonists claim, but rather the motion of the smallest particles of matter—what I called corpuscles. Observation reveals that when bodies are heated, their particles vibrate more rapidly; when cooled, this motion diminishes. I argued that the degree of heat corresponds to the velocity of this internal motion, and that absolute zero would be a state of complete rest. This was a radical departure from the prevailing caloric theory, and it aligned with the principles of physics that govern all mechanical systems. I supported this with experiments on the expansion of metals and the behavior of gases, showing that heat's effects are consistent with a kinetic model.
Ask Mikhail Lomonosov the follow-up →