Please note: This page is under construction and several things are being tried out!!
Denis Papin
| Short cuts to articles | ||
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Language exercises |
Inventions, machines,etc |
People and times |
| Denis song with gap filling | Denis Papin's Pump | The life of Denis Papin |
| Hero's Hot Air Engine | The 17th century | |
| Process description:The silex Coffee Maker. Gap filling | Denis Papin's safety valve | |
| Gap filling on description of Hero's hot air engine. | New solutions to Hero's Temple Doors. Designed by the French team. | Thomas Newcomen |
| Robert Boyle | ||
| Otto von Guerike |
Denis Papin??? Denis who??? Who is Denis Papin???
(Do you like music?? Follow this link to the song "Denis" by Blondie )
(The song is only for registered participants,but a gap exercise is for everybody)
Briefly said, Denis Papin can be considered a true European scientist / technologist who some 350 years ago lived, taught and experimented in
The more we looked into his life, the more interesting he became and we realised that to give credit to him we had to go into the development of science.
In the following pages we will present his life and work in a historical perspective. As this is a school project we use our work on Denis Papin as a combination of presenting Denis Papin to the other schools involved in this project, as a way of getting to know and using new developments in Computer Technology and finally but just as importantly, as a way of improving our English as a second Language.
You will therefore encounter also language learning exercises.
In the course of our work with Denis Papin we have met several important historic persons. These are: Heron from Alexandria, Thomas Savery, Thomas Newcomen,James Watt, Robert Boyle (and others)
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| Heron | Thomas Savery | Thomas Newcomen | James Watt | Robert Boyle |
| 1. Century, Greece |
1650 - 1715, England |
1663-1729, England |
1736-1819 England |
1627-1692 England |
But it may be interesting to have a broader view on the century we are looking at. If you are interested follow this link - Phillip Wallert gives an introduction into the 17th century or more specifically about the Hugenots click here (Written by Sven Krämer and Daniel Debor):
For another explanation to Papin's religious background follow this link written by Dr. Martin Senz, teacher of the FOS 12 A2 in philosophy/religion. Click here
The first scientist we are looking at is Hero from Alexandria. He is said to have drawn the following sketch of a temple door that was "magically " opened by God. Look at the drawing and listen to the description.
Source: leifi.physik.uni-muenchen.de
Fabio Schwegler has prepared an animated graphic of Hero's apparatus.
Klick here for the link to youtube.
Do you want to have an exercise with this? Click here. You will find a written description of the apparatus and will have to identify certain parts.
The Frech team has sent us new soltutions for Hero's Temple Doors.
To view them click here.
We now make a big jump of some 1500 hundred years to meet Denis Papin, who was the next one to explore the nature of air, steam and pressure. (certainly not the only one)
Short Biography of Denis Papin:
Denis Papin attended a school in Blois, France. In 1661, he began his studies at the University of Angers (France). He graduated with a medical degree in 1669.
Papin assisted the scientist Huygens with air pump experiments from 1671 to 1674 in Paris. Papin went to London, England, in 1675 where he worked with Boyle. He remained in this post until 1679 when he became the assistant to Hooke at the Royal Society in London, England. Papin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1680.
In 1681 Papin left for Italy where he was director of experiments at the “Accademia publicca di scienze” in Venice until 1684. There was an attempt to turn the “Accademia” in Venice into a Society modelled on the Royal Society in London and the Académie Royale in Paris but lack of financial support ended the attempt.
There were religious reasons why Papin could not return to France. He was born into a Huguenot family and the Huguenots were persecuted in France at that time and he became an exile.
Papin returned to London in 1684 working again with the Royal Society until 1687. After this Papin left England and went to Germany, where he became professor of mathematics at the University of Marburg. He held this post until 1696 when he begun to work for Duke Hesse-Kassel until 1707. This time in Hesse-Kassel was not a successful one for Papin who found himself in disagreement with his colleagues.
Papin is best known for his work as an inventor, particularly his work on the steam engine. In 1679 he invented the pressure cooker and, in 1690, he published his first work on the steam engine. The purpose of the steam engine was to raise water to a canal between Kassel and Karlshaven. He also used a steam engine to pump water to a tank on the roof of the palace to supply water for the fountains in the gardens. In 1705, when Leibniz sent Papin a sketch of a steam engine, Papin began working on that topic again and wrote The New Art of Pumping Water by using Steam (1707). He designed a safety valve to prevent the pressure of steam building up to dangerous levels.
Other inventions which Papin worked on were the construction of a submarine, an air gun and a grenade launcher. He tried to build up a glass industry in Hesse-Kassel and also experimented with preserving food both with chemicals and using a vacuum.
In 1707 Papin built the first paddle boat driven by steam. The boat was destroyed by angry shipowners when he was on his way to London. His return to London was not successful and he lived in poverty until his death. The date given for his death is only a guess since no records seem to exist of his last years in London. His last known letter is dated 23 January 1712
Do you like crossword puzzles? Here is one based on the text above. Klick!
The invention of Denis Papin's pump
Papin’s experimental machine was a cylinder which contained some water and a piston. If the cylinder was heated and then cooled (and this very often in rapid succession) the water became steam and then condensed and the piston started to move up and down. (The risinig steam pushed up the piston, the condensing steam sucked the piston back) This movement could be used for mechanical work.
This steam engine was primitive but it worked and so it was the first thermal engine, the first motor ever invented. Before Papin could improve his invention, Thomas Savery invented the steam pressure pump and had it patented. Little is known about Savery but it seems as if he combined the findings of other scientists and used them practically. In England he is now known as the inventor of the steam engine.
At least this example of a steam engine persuaded the Duke of Hesse, who wanted fountains similar to the ones in
Here is Phillip Wallert who explaines the working of the engine.
- The Silex Coffe Maker: We have an exercise for you that focusses on the relation of steam, pressure and vaccuum. It is a step-by-step description of the Silex Coffee Maker process as a gap filling language exercise. These kinds of coffe makers were fashionable some 20 years ago. Click here
- An important feature of Denis Papin's invention was the safety valve. If you want to know more about it click here
Research into the nature and properties of gases is also connected Robert Boyle, an Irish experimental scientist who is now considered a founder of modern chemistry. Denis Papin and Boyle worked together in England. (text submitted by Gregorio Ruisi, Jonathan Sterzig, Pierre Weis, Yikalo Gebreigzeher)
We now come to Thomas Newcomen. Click here: (Text submitted by Alexander Püchner and Maik Prak)
It is interesting to take a look at some other developments in the history of science, closely connected with Denis Papin. Otto von Guericke, a German scientist experimented with the nature of the vaccuum. (The two never met, however) Click here to read more (Text submitted by Sven Ehmig)
