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Conservation and Innovation : Helmholtz's Struggle with Energy ...

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condition that work done by the forces be a total differential. This means that<br />

"energy" was not stressed as an autonomous physical concept but that what was<br />

really supposed to be important was a formal condition on the work done by the<br />

forces. An analysis of this tradition <strong>and</strong> of its relations <strong>with</strong> <strong>Helmholtz's</strong><br />

Erhaltung <strong>and</strong> later works ( <strong>Helmholtz's</strong> attempted in Königsberg at convincing<br />

F.Neumann of energy conservation 492, while was actually F.Neumann who taught<br />

the potential theory to Helmholtz 493) would outline some interesting differences<br />

between mathematical <strong>and</strong> theoretical approaches to energy conservation.<br />

Once that we recognise that something relevant happened in the history of<br />

conservation ideas in the 40's <strong>and</strong> 50's of last century more <strong>and</strong> more compelling<br />

appears that to try to clarify what happened the stress should be put on<br />

differences rather than on similarities.<br />

This leads to reexamine Kuhn's choice of the twelve "pioneers" <strong>and</strong> the<br />

three groupings. The exclusion from group one of Clausius 494, Rankine 495 <strong>and</strong><br />

Kirchhoff: see Hoppe Histoire P.99; Neumann, Carl. Die Gesetze von Ampére und Weber.<br />

Leipzig: Teubner, 1877.<br />

492 Koenigsberger HvH P.64<br />

493 Koenigsberger HvH . Pp.100-1. Helmholtz in his two main papers in<br />

hydrodynamics (Helmholtz, Hermann. "Ueber Integrale der hydrodynamischen Gleichungen,<br />

welche den Wirbelbewegungen entsprechen." In Journ. f. d. reine u. angew<strong>and</strong>te Mathematik<br />

55 (1858): 25-55; rep. in W A 1 pp.101- 134; "Ueber discontinuirliche<br />

Flüssigkeitsbewegungen." In Berliner Monatsberichte (1868): 215-28; rep. in W A 1 pp.146-<br />

157) <strong>and</strong> in his electrodynamics works of the seventies drew more on potential theory than on<br />

his 1847 version of "energy" conservation.<br />

494 On Clausius see: Helm Energetik Pp.70-80; Daub, Edward." Atomism <strong>and</strong><br />

Thermodynamics." In Isis 58 (1967): 293-303; Clark, Peter. "Atomism versus<br />

Thermodynamics." In Method <strong>and</strong> Appraisal in the Physical Sciences: The Critical<br />

Background to Modern Science, 1800-1905. Colin Howson ed. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P.,<br />

1976, pp.41-105; Truesdell, Clifford. The Tragicomic History of Thermodynamics. 1822-<br />

1854. New York: Springer,1980; Yagi, Eri."Clausius's Mathematical Method <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Mechanical Theory of Heat." In HSPS 15 (1984): 177-95; Wolff "Clausius".<br />

495 On Rankine see: Hutchinson, Keith."W.J.M. Rankine <strong>and</strong> the Rise of<br />

Thermodynamics." In Brit J Hist Sci 14 (1981): 1-26; see also Bevilacqua En <strong>and</strong> Electr .<br />

Pp.80-90.

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