Peter van Musschenbroek
| Pieter van Musschenbroek | |
|---|---|
1741 portrait of Pieter van Musschenbroek
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| Born |
14 March 1692 Leiden, Dutch Republic |
| Died | 19 September 1761 (aged 69) Leiden, Dutch Republic |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Alma mater | Leiden University |
| Known for | Leyden jar, Tribometer, Atmometer |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, astronomy |
| Doctoral advisor |
Wolferd Senguerd Herman Boerhaave |
| Notable students | Andreas Cunaeus |
Pieter van Musschenbroek (14 March 1692 – 19 September 1761) was a Dutch scientist. He was a professor in Duisburg, Utrecht, and Leiden, where he held positions in mathematics, philosophy, medicine, and astronomy. He is credited with the invention of the first capacitor in 1746: the Leyden jar. He performed pioneering work on the buckling of compressed struts. Musschenbroek was also one of the first scientists (1729) to provide detailed descriptions of testing machines for tension, compression, and flexure testing. An early example of a problem in dynamic plasticity was described in the 1739 paper (in the form of the penetration of butter by a wooden stick subjected to impact by a wooden sphere).
Pieter van Musschenbroek was born on 14 March 1692 in Leiden, Holland, Dutch Republic. His father was Johannes van Musschenbroek and his mother was Margaretha van Straaten. The Van Musschenbroeks, originally from Flanders, had lived in the city of Leiden since circa 1600. His father was an instrument maker, who made scientific instruments such as air pumps, microscopes, and telescopes.
Van Musschenbroek attended Latin school until 1708, where he studied Greek, Latin, French, English, High German, Italian, and Spanish. He studied medicine at Leiden University and received his doctorate in 1715. He also attended lectures by John Theophilus Desaguliers and Isaac Newton in London. He finished his study in philosophy in 1719.
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