A Boring Experiment

FIGURE 222. The cannon-boring experiment of Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford), which disproved the caloric theory (from Phihsophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 88 (1798) pp. 80-102). 

This study was a first quantitative step toward establishing the First Law of Thermodynamics in terms of the mechanical equivalent of heat  

In the boring experiment, work is done by the surroundings on the system (the brass cannon), the energy of the system rises and heat is also released to the surroundings (water bath). The First Law of Thermodynamics and the mechanical equivalent of heat (1 calorie = 4.184 joule) were established in 1843 by James Prescott Joule (1818-89). In order to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C (1 calorie), 4.184 joule of mechanical work, such as spinning paddles in water (Joule s experiment), is required. 

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