James Prescott Joule

James Prescott Joule was a 19th-century English physicist best known for his research in thermodynamics. He discovered the principle of conservation of energy, demonstrating that heat is a form of energy. His experiments, such as converting mechanical work into heat by stirring water, established the relationship between heat and mechanical energy, leading to the concept of internal energy. The unit of energy, the joule, is named in his honor. Joule's work laid the foundation for the laws of thermodynamics, which describe how energy moves and transforms in physical systems.