Timoleon Argyropoulos (Greek: Τιμολέων Αργυρόπουλος April 12, 1847 - January 16, 1912) was an experimental physicist, mathematician, author, and professor. He was a pioneer in modern Greek education. His field of study was electricity and magnetism. He helped develop experimental physics in modern Greek education. He was the father of Greek radiology.[1] He replaced Dimitrios Stroumpos as the chair of physics at the University of Athens. Initially, the school of Physics and Mathematics was part of the School of Philosophy. Argyropoulos along with other world-renowned Greek scientists Anastassios Christomanos, Konstantinos M. Mitsopoulos, Spyridon Miliarakis, Nikolaos Apostolidis, and Anastasios Damvergis filed a memorandum to the Greek state to separate the schools in the late 1800s. Argyropoulos pioneered the formation of the Department of Physics. He became chair of the physics department on November 22, 1898.[2] He gave a notable speech discussing modern science. He heavily discussed electricity and modern pioneers such as Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. He also discussed Michael Faraday, Heinrich Hertz, and countless other world-renowned physicists. He also emphasized the modernization and revitalization of the physics department. He made significant contributions to the field of physics and modern Greek education. He published eleven books.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
History
He was born in Athens, Greece to Athanassios Argyropoulos and Fanny Frangueska Amallia Kraus. His mother was German. His parents were married at the German Evangelical Community Church in Athens on July 27, 1839. His mother is buried at the Protestant cemetery of Athens but her statue is at the A' Nekrotafeion at her husband's tomb. The couple had eight children. Leonidas, Ourania, Pericles, Timoleon, Dimitrios, Konstantinos, Amalia, and Penelope. The last two died at a very young age.[9] He attended the University of Athens. He was sent abroad to study in France. He followed the path of his predecessors Vassilios Lakon and
Dimitrios Stroumpos. He studied at the Sorbonne from 1867 to 1871 and then he attended the prestigious French university Ecole des Mines from 1871 to 1874. During that period Henri Poincaré was his classmate. Their professor was world-renowned French Mathematician Charles Hermite. During his academic years, Timoleon began to show an interest in electricity and magnetism.[10]
He was a researcher and professor. He obtained a doctorate degree.[11] He married Aikaterini Konofaou. They had two daughters Fani and Maria. In 1881, he attended the
International Electrical Congress for the Greek government. He returned to Greece. He was a professor at Evelpidon and the Hellenic Naval Academy. He joined the University of Athens as a Privatdozent in 1884, temporary professor of physics in 1885, and a full professor in 1890. Former chair of the physics department Dimitrios Stroumpos died that same year.
He became chair of the department on November 22, 1898. He gave a notable speech. The theme was electricity. He revealed that Benjamin Franklin was his personal hero.[12] He also likened modern Greek scientific education to independence. Argyropoulos and Anastassios Christomanos along with other members of the Greek scientific community lobbied to separate the physics and mathematics department from the philosophical school. During 1909-10 he was Dean of the School of Sciences. He died on January 16, 1912.[13] He participated in multiple scientific organizations. He also served as president of the Parnassos Literary Society[14] from 1880 until the end of his life.
Academic Work
Countless scientists proposed theories relative to the new electromagnetic phenomena. Scientists were escaping the philosophical interpretation of the universe and introducing the practical mathematical interpretation of the physical world known as modern physics.
Greek education was trapped following Korydalism for over 300 years. Aristotelian and Ptolemaic physics dominated Greek and Italian education. Argyropoulos and his contemporaries in Greece and abroad were part of the new scientific movement introducing new theories and concepts. Argyropoulos was a proponent of Aether theories prior to the development of special relativity. Scientist proposed the existence of a space-filling substance or field as the transmission medium for the propagation of electromagnetic or gravitational forces. Argyropoulos and Greek physicist Vassilios Lakon believed that the absolute vacuum was not possible within the ether. He also introduced the concept of atomic powers. He did not clarify their nature or mode of action. He introduced the notion of power within the quantitative framework. Power described the physical condition of a body combined with the repulsive forces caused by heat.[1]
Argyropoulos also contributed to the field of kinematics. Argyropoulos and his contemporaries began to accept the mathematical approach of kinematics replacing the theoretical qualitative approach dominated by the philosophical interpretation of the universe. Argyropoulos and Lakon introduced a definition for mass. Argyropoulos and Lakon accepted the principle of Earth's rotation proposed by the foucault pendulum. Argyropoulos defined active energy in relation to kinetic energy and potential energy. He also accepted the principle of the conservation of energy. Argyropoulos heavily researched electricity and proposed the concept of providing electric lighting to cities. Lakon incorporated modern concepts of electromagnetism and discussed Oersted, the law of Biot-Savart, and the telegraph. Argyropoulos offered a detailed description of crookes tubes, geissler tubes and x-rays.[15]
Books
History of Electricity Since Ancient Times (1888) (Greek)
X-ray Fluorescence of Potassium Sodium Platinum Cyanide and Potassium Lithium Platinum Cyanide (1896) (Greek)
Apparatus of the Difference in Viscosity of Liquids (Greek)
Double Refraction and Polarization of Light (1891) (Greek)
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