Who made physical change and chemical change? - ProProfs Discuss
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Who made physical change and chemical change?

Asked by John Adney, Last updated: Mar 26, 2024

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4 Answers

L. Gibson

L. Gibson

L. Gibson
L. Gibson, Science Professor

Answered Jan 28, 2021

The person who discovered physical and chemical change was Josiah Willard Gibbs. He was born on 11, 1839, and contributed immensely to science, especially the theoretical aspect of mathematics, chemistry, and physics. He discovered physical and chemical change during a series of experiments he performed between 1876 and 1878.

Due to his immense contributions to science, he was one of the American scientists to have earned an international reputation. Chemical change refers to the process of changing reactants into products, either by making or breaking chemical bonds.

Physical change, on the other hand, refers to a change that only affects the form of a substance, but not its chemical compositions. An example of a physical change is the one that occurs in mixtures. When you have a mixture, it won't result in a change in its chemical compositions. Another thing is that you can still separate the components of a mixture.

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G. Cole

G. Cole

Find happiness in writing new things.

G. Cole
G. Cole, English Professor, PhD, Canterbury

Answered Jan 22, 2021

The correct answer to this question is Josiah Willard Gibbs. He was born in Connecticut in 1839. Most know him for his work in discovering chemical and physical changes. However, he worked in many other fields including mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

When it comes to his discovery of physical and chemical changes, he made those discoveries between the years of 1876 and 1878. Before he made those discoveries, Gibbs earned his education at Yale. He first graduated from there in 1858. Then, in 1863, he gained his Doctorate of Philosophy from Yale. Along with graduating from there, Gibbs returned to Yale to teach mathematical physics.

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J. Alfie

J. Alfie

I Write for myself and many other clients. Blog post, Article writing and writing for ProProfs is my daily thing.

J. Alfie
J. Alfie, Content Writer, Masters in Literature, Dallas,Texas

Answered Jan 20, 2021

Physical and chemical change has been discovered by Josiah Willard Gibbs. His work used to be in statistical mechanics. The things that he did every day has allowed him to discover different changes that may occur. He also realized that there are instances when the change does not make a difference with the overall composition of the item.

While there are also times when some of the components of the item has already changed. When there is not a lot of difference, this is called a physical change. If there are some changes with the color and so much more, this is considered a chemical change.

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Robert Hazlewood

Robert Hazlewood

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Robert Hazlewood
Robert Hazlewood, Senior Executive, MBA, Louisville

Answered Dec 12, 2018

Josiah Willard Gibbs, an American scientist discovered physical and chemical changes. He also made many important theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry and mathematics. Physical and chemical change was discovered during the year from 1876 to 1878.

Josiah Willard Gibbs was born in the year 1839 in New Haven, Connecticut in United States. He died on 28 April 1903 also in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He graduated from Yale in 1858; he continued his career in Yale and also earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in Yale in the year 1863. Gibbs was a professor of mathematical physics at Yale from 1871 till the time of his death.

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