Laesecke, A.
(2002),
Through Measurement to Knowledge: The Inaugural Lecture of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1882), Journal of Research (NIST JRES), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=831791
(Accessed October 15, 2025)
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Through Measurement to Knowledge: The Inaugural Lecture of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1882)
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Abstract
This paper is a contribution to the NIST Centennial 2001. It presents the first complete English translation of the inaugural speech of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on the occasion of his appointment as Professor at the University of Leiden (The Netherlands) in 1882. The speech is a snapshot of the scientific landscape of that time and lays out a vision. It advocates with enthusiasm the significance of quantitative measurements and the development of metrology standards. Although science and technology have advanced since then by orders of magnitude, a number of interesting parallels between then and now appear.Citation
Journal of Research (NIST JRES) -
Volume
107 No. 3
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
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Keywords
history, metrology, simulation, standards, theory, thermophysical properties
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Created May 1, 2002, Updated February 17, 2017