Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke was a Renaissance Man – a jack of all trades, and a master of many.
He wrote one of the most significant scientific books ever written, Micrographia, and made contributions to human knowledge spanning Architecture, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Surveying & Map Making, and the design and construction of scientific instruments.

Robert Hooke placed a sample ofblue mold under his microscope and discovered that the mold was actually what he called ‘Microscopical Mushrooms.’
Early Life and Education
Robert Hooke was born on the Isle of Wight, England on July 28, 1635. His parents were John Hooke and Cecily Gyles. He was the youngest of their four children. For a large part of his childhood, and whole life, Robert Hooke’s health was delicate. He spent muchof his school time at home.
As a young boy, he impressed his clergyman father with his fine skills in drawing and his work on instruments such as clocks. His father believed his son was destined to become a clockmaker or an artist.
In 1648, Robert Hooke’s father died, leaving him a legacy of 40 pounds – a significant amount of money. The 13-year-old boy traveled to London to be educated atWestminster School, where he learned the classical languages of Greek and Latin and studied mathematics and mechanics.
In 1653, aged 18, he enrolled at the University of Oxford’s Christ Church College, where he studied experimental science and became a chorister.
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Hooke Becomes a Scientist
Aged 20, in 1655, Hooke’s career took a further turn towards science.
His abilities in working withmechanical instruments had become very refined, and he secured work in Oxford as an assistant to one of the founders of modern chemistry – Robert Boyle. Hooke worked with Boyle for seven years; during this time Boyle discovered Boyle’s Law using air pumps designed and built largely by Hooke.
The Royal Society
In 1662, now aged 27, Hooke was appointed as Curator of Experiments for the newly foundedRoyal Society, whose purpose was to advance scientific understanding of the world.
As Curator, he was responsible for the experiments conducted by the Society. This was an important position for such a young man to hold. Clearly Hooke’s time with Boyle had won him admiration in the scientific world.
Hooke moved from Oxford to London, where he held the Curator position for forty years.
RobertHooke’s Scientific Discoveries
The Measurement of Time
In about 1657, Hooke greatly improved the pendulum clock by inventing the anchor escapement. This was a cog which gave a small push to every swing a pendulum took, preventing it running down, while also moving the hands of the clock forward.
In about 1660, Hooke invented the balance spring, vital for accurate timekeeping in pocket watches, one ofwhich he made for his own use. A pendulum cannot be used in a pocket watch, so another way of marking the passage of time is needed.
Hooke’s balance spring was attached to a balance wheel and produced a regular oscillation; this oscillation allowed time to be kept accurately. Christiaan Huygens invented the balance spring independently of Hooke over a decade later.
Hooke’s Law
In 1660 Hookediscovered Hooke’s Law, which states that the tension force in a spring increases in direct proportion to the length it is stretched to.
Micrographia and Microscopy
In 1665, when he was aged 30, Hooke published the first ever scientific bestseller: Micrographia.
The book was a showcase for Hooke’s particular talents – his understanding of nature and light, his highly developed skills in designing andconstructing scientific instruments, and his skills as an artist.
Hooke had built a compound microscope with a new, screw-operated focusing mechanism he had designed. Previously, people needed to move the specimen to get it in focus.
He further improved the microscope with lighting. He placed a water-lens beside the microscope to focus light from an oil-lamp on to his specimens to illuminate them...