- Dulong and Petit's law
- Du·long and Pe·tit's law 'd(y)ü-.lȯŋ-ən-pə-'tēz-, d(y)ü-' n a law in physics and chemistry: the specific heats of most solid elements multiplied by their atomic weights are nearly the same averaging a little over six calories per degree Celsius per gram-atomic weightDu·long due-lōn Pierre-Louis (1785-1838), andPe·tit p(ə-)tē Alexis-Thérèse (1791-1820)French physicists. Dulong and Petit collaborated on important studies of temperature measurement and heat transfer. In 1815 they made the first accurate comparison between air and mercury thermometers. Two years later they showed that Newton's law of cooling is true only for small differences in temperature. In 1819 they demonstrated that the heat produced in the compression of a gas is proportional to the work done. In that same year they formulated the law concerning specific heats that now bears their names.
* * *
the atomic heat capacity, the product of the atomic weight and the specific heat per gram, is constant for most elements; boron, carbon, and silicon are notable exceptions at normal temperatures.
Medical dictionary. 2011.