Beccaria, Giovanni Battista

BECCARIA, GIOVANNI BATTISTA. - Born in Mondovì in 1716, he became a Piarist at the age of 16, taught philosophy and rhetoric in Palermo and Rome, but devoted himself by inclination to mathematics, and through mathematics turned to the study of the theories of Galileo and Newton, in which he acquired such clear fame that in 1748 he was called to teach physical sciences at the University of Turin. He set out on the main road of experience and had the merit of training distinguished disciples, such as Lagrange, Cigna, Prospero Balbo and Angelo Saluzzo. Among his pupils the Academy of Sciences of Turin had its origin. After Franklin's discovery, he turned to the study of natural electricity and acquired world fame in it. He was in correspondence with Franklin and Volta and was admitted to many academies of Europe. Died in Turin in 1781.

Varied, intense, and most remarkable was the personal scientific activity of the Piedmontese physicist in several branches of the physico-mathematical sciences; where, however, he left indelible marks is in the history of science, in the field of electricity and in that of operative geodesy. His studies on electricity, continued with success and tenacity for over a quarter of a century, concern electrostatics and atmospheric electrical phenomena and are collected in many publications, which gave the author very high fame throughout Europe and gathered, time and again, enthusiastic praise from Franklin and Priestley. In electrostatics he was a partisan of Franklin's hypothesis of the single electric fluid, in opposition to the dualistic one of Symmer. As for atmospheric electricity, B. was truly a pertinacious and daring observer and achieved very remarkable results. Here too he can be considered a collaborator and continuator of Franklin, as his attitude toward the lightning rod, which he tested and perfected, demonstrates. A mighty undertaking that occupied several years of his life was that of measuring the Gradus Taurinensis: the most laborious field operations were followed by long and difficult calculations, so that only in 1774 was the ample Latin report ready, entitled as above, with the description of the operations themselves, the most significant part of the observations and calculations, and the results. The publication, as is known, aroused numerous criticisms; attempts at revision therefore followed. B. responded defending himself with great acuteness; but only half a century after his death was to come the almost full confirmation of B.'s result and, account being taken of his less perfect instrumental means, the full confirmation of his explanation.

Luigi Berra - Leodegario Picanyol