Re: Kelvin and the Age of the Earth

[Hugh Haskell <hhaskell@MINDSPRING.COM>]

> Hello,
>
>     I was wondering if anyone could point me to Kelvin's derivation of the age
>     of the Earth?  I see references to it many places, but no actual
>     derivations.  He has a similar calculation of the age of the Sun.  I have
>     combed the web, with no success, and thought that someone on the list
>     might have a ready reference.
>
>
>                thanks,
>
>                     Brian Blais

Check out the book, "Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Earth," by Joe D.
Burchfield (Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1990). I have not read
it yet, but it doesn't seem to have the derivation explicitly
included. However, it certainly has references to Kelvin's Original
calculations, and it may have references to later presentations of
Kelvin's work by others. The bibliography of this book has no less
than 40 references to Kelvin's work in these areas and related topics.

Hugh
--

Hugh Haskell
<mailto://haskell@ncssm.edu>
<mailto://hhaskell@mindspring.com>

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