Henry Cavendish (October 10, 1731 - February 24, 1810) was an English natural philosopher, scientist, and an important experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. Cavendish is distinguished for great accuracy and precision in his researches into the composition of atmospheric air, the properties of different gases, the synthesis of water, the law governing electrical attraction and repulsion, a mechanical theory of heat, and calculations of the density of the Earth. He was a shy man who was uncomfortable in society and avoided it when he could. Modern commentators speculate that he had Asperger syndrome. |