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Ludwig A. Colding Created 2026-10-24 Updated 2026-11-05
Ludwig A. Colding was a Danish engineer who investigated the conversion between mechanical work and heat as part of the nineteenth-century development of conservation of energy. His work connects a practical measurement question—how much heat accompanies an expenditure of mechanical work—with a general statement about the persistence of energy through changes of form.
In an English letter dated November 1863 and published in 1864, he traced his claim to the conservation principle back to his 1843 work. The letter is a useful primary source for what Ludwig A. Colding himself understood his contribution to be, including the importance he attached to experimental evidence. The historical use of the word force in this discussion should be read in context rather than identified automatically with the modern force.[ref]
On the History of the Principle of the Conservation of Energy by Ludwig A. Colding. Philosophical Magazine, fourth series, 27 (1864), pages 56–64
Portrait of Ludwig A. Colding
. Georg Holtzweissig; Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark. Public domain (Commons PD-Denmark50, life+70 and pre-1931 U.S. publication tags). Source and usage information on the linked Wikimedia file page. Source.