Robert Hooke Biography – An Important Figure In Scientific Revolution

English natural philosopher Robert Hooke invented the microscope, iris diaphragm in cameras and the balance wheel in watches, among others. Although less celebrated than colleagues like Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle, Hooke made his mark in history and science through cell biology and Hooke’s Law in mechanics and physics.

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Robert Hooke Biography - Life and Affiliations

There is little information about Hooke’s early life. He was the youngest of four children born to priest and curate John Hooke and housewife Cecily Gyles. Robert had poor health since his birth on July 18, 1635 in Isle of Wight, England, until his teenage years. Because of recurring headaches that made studying hard, Robert’s parents left him to his own devices instead of planning his formal education. It is important to mention in any Robert Hooke biography that in 1655, Hooke started working for Robert Boyle, helping the scientist construct and demonstrate the air pump Boyle called “machina Boyleana.” The friendship between the two is chronicled in Hooke’s diaries. A typical Robert Hooke biography would note that during his Oxford University education, Hooke regularly met with other great minds including John Wilkins, Thomas Willis and Seth Ward. On March 3, 1703, Hooke passed away in London, never having married but amassing a considerable amount of money.

Robert Hooke Cell Theory - General Overview

Hooke discovered the cell and in 1665 coined its name from the Latin word “cellula,” meaning small room, after he saw a resemblance of plant cells with the austere rooms of monks. Part of the history of the Robert Hooke cell theory is the invention of the microscope, which Hooke made by hand with leather and gold. The discovery of the cell started from tiny, compartmentalized pores that Hooke saw in very thin slices of cork. Although he was not the first man to examine a live cell under a microscope, Hooke’s discovery gave rise to the early Robert Hooke cell theory, which declares cells as the basic unit structure of biological organisms.

Robert Hooke Discovered - Other Contributions

The Law of Elasticity, also known as Hooke’s law, states that the displacement or size of relatively small deformations is directly affected by the deforming force or load. This was demonstrated using an elastic spring, which was stretched, compressed, squeezed, bent and twisted. It is likewise applicable to stress and strain - strain being the relative deformation that stress produces. Robert Hooke discovered the law in 1660 and initially announced it as an anagram. Aside from physics, Hooke also contributed to astronomy, taking on the mysteries of stellar distance and observing the rings of Saturn. Robert Hooke discovered Gamma Arietis, a triple star system in the constellation Aries.