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Jacob Leupold

Jacob Leupold (1674–1727), was a German physicist, scientist, mathematician. He wrote, Theatrum Machinarum Generale, in translation “The General Theory of Machines”. Jacob Leupold was a German instrument maker, mining commissioner and an engineer who published an important and popular book Theatri Machinarum (1727).

Jacob Leupold was born on July 22, 1674 as a son of a craftsman in the village near Zwickau. Since early childhood he had an interest in various mechanical things and as he described it later, "... I had not only opportunity of seeing how different things have been made but also manual work made me strong". Father sent Leupold to Zwickau's Latin school. In 1695 Leupold started to study theology in the University of Jena but he did not give up his interest in "mechanical things" - he also was attending lectures of the well-known astronomer and mathematician Erhard Weigel. Shortly after that Leupold switched to the University of Wittenberg but because of financial situation he continued his studies in the University of Leipzig where he could support himself by private tutoring and working as a craftsmen. He was helping to design and build many instruments needed for experimental physics studies. In 1699 Leupolds interests had fully changed to mechanics and mathematics.

In 1701 Leupold got a position as an economist in George Military Hospital thus obtaining regular income but not enough free time to dedicate himself to mechanics. He married Anna Elizabeth and they had 3 sons and 3 daughters who all but one daughter died young. His wife died in 1713.

In 17th century main instruments for experimental physics were the telescope, the microscope, the pendulum clock and the vacuum pump, invented in 1656 by Otto von Guericke. Leupold is also creditted as an early inventor of air pump. He designed his first pump in 1705, in 1707 he published a book "Antlia pneumatica illustrata". In 1711 following an advice of its president G. W. Leibniz Prussian Academy of Sciences acquired Leupold's pump. In 1715 Leupold became a member of academy. In 1720 Leupold started to work on the manuscript of Theatri machinarum. It was the first systematic analysis of mechanical engineering. It included, ahead of its time, a design for a high-pressure noncondensing steam engine, the likes of which were not built until the early 1800s. Leupold died on January 12, 1727, at the age of only 53.

Biography of Jacob Leupold source